


In The Chain of Command

by Elizabeth_Inkheart



Series: The Skeld Series [3]
Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Black STILL doesnt know how humans work, Brace yourselves this is a bumpy ride, Character colors are identified by names, F/M, Feels, I am sorry in advance, Illegal Experimentation, Imposters are aliens, M/M, Remember when this was about a videogame?, Some Fluff, The chef DOESNT know, Trust Issues, Welp there be ANGST, conspiracy shit, yeah me neither
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:54:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 32,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27100792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elizabeth_Inkheart/pseuds/Elizabeth_Inkheart
Summary: WARNING: This story will not make sense unless you read part 1 and part 2 of this series. If you haven't read those works yet, I suggest you do for this all to make sense.Black gets a strange promotion and white grows a bit overprotective, but little do they know he has good reason to be concerned... When things go awry and some deadly secrets are revealed, Black and White find themselves with no one to run to, no one to help, and no one to trust... Not even each other...
Relationships: Black/White, Red/Yellow (Among Us)
Series: The Skeld Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955758
Comments: 311
Kudos: 126





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> At this point, this series only relates to the game Among Us nominally, but I'm so invested in the characters and world I've created based off that game that I dont feel like limiting myself when writing this haha. That just means you'll have to deal with my bullshit again whether you like it or not but, hey. What else is new?

Large security doors hissed open to let their visitor pass into the building. The visitor marched down the darkened hallway and the sound of his footsteps clacking against the tiled floor of the laboratory reverberated through the empty halls. Upon reaching his destination he entered to see the person he wanted to talk to was already there. Good. He walked up alongside the lab personnel who was staring through thick plexiglass at a darkened cell. The visitor spoke.

“And how is our… asset today?”

The lab assistant sounded ever so slightly timid as they spoke but spoke clearly, nonetheless.

“Well, their vitals are stabilizing. The nanites are holding effective and the watch window is almost over. It looks very promising.”

The visitor smiled.

“Good… I expect you all to start experimenting as soon as physically possible. I have a deadline to meet, and I need results.”

The lab assistant shot the visitor a look.

“Uh… Sir, you do realize we need a... uhm… control group. Right?”

The visitor peered deeper into the glass as he responded.

“I know…”

From the darkness of the cell the two were watching, four glowing yellow eyes opened and slowly rose to meet their gaze. At the sight of them, the visitor began smiling.

“I’ve got just the thing…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A man is getting hunted and chased throughout the Market City... But by who?

A man weaved his way through the dense market streets with a panicked expression on his face. His breathing was ragged from running for so long… but he couldn’t stop… unless he wanted to get caught by that… _thing_. He _had_ to keep moving. The information that he had found out was too important for it to be silenced. _Thank goodness he’d finished that transmission in time…_ The man shoved his way past some bystanders who exclaimed and yelled after him. He didn’t look back. He could practically hear the thing chasing him…. And it was getting closer. The frightened man watched as a civilian was in the process of getting off their hoverbike. _That’ll loose ‘em._ Without second guessing himself, the man shoved the civilian aside, jumped on the bike, and sent the civilian's recently procured groceries flying everywhere in the process. The man throttled the bike as soon as he was clear of the crowd and sped away. He needed some distance between him and that _monster…_

Blackstone picked up the pace as he saw his target grab a bike to speed off. He’d been chasing this person for nearly 3 minutes now and his target had somehow managed to evade him throughout the entire pedestrian sector of the city. But now that there were open spaces, Blackstone had room. In a smooth transition, Blackstone leapt into the air. He felt pain erupt across his body as he shapeshifted rapidly from a bipedal to a quadrupedal form. Blackstone pushed through it. He had a mission to accomplish. His tendrils coiled into front legs in a matter of milliseconds and by the time he’d landed on the ground again, he was sprinting after the man on the bike. Blackstone could feel his chest rumble as he breathed in copious amounts of air to urge his muscles faster. There was a lot of distance between him and his target, but he was gaining on them… slowly.

Blackstone’s target came to the lift that carried people to the exit of the crater walls. He jumped in the next available one and watched as the lift carried him nearly 12 feet into the air. He could see Blackstone gaining on him and galloping on all fours. There was a sickening feeling of dread un his stomach as he paced nervously on the lift. He needed to get moving. Blackstone grimaced as he morphed back into bipedal form upon reaching the base of the crater wall. All of the lifts were occupied. Blackstone could smell fear from the top of the crater wall and his frills twitched at the distant yet rapid sound of his target’s racing heartbeat. If he didn’t get to the top now, his target would get away. Blackstone took in his surroundings. The crater wall was lined in metal so he couldn’t climb the face quickly. However, there were some poles standing equidistant from one another that ran electricity from the surface generators to the crater city market. And they were just close enough to each other that maybe…

Blackstone’s two left tendrils wrapped around the pole closest on his left and did the same for the two tendrils on his right. He strained his arms and dug his feet into the gravel to pull himself backwards. He could feel the muscles in his arm stretch, and although it hurt, he could tell that his idea would work. Blackstone pulled himself further away from the poles he’d lashed onto. At the top of the crater wall, his target could be seen sprinting out of the lift and out of sight. Blackstone shifted his feet slightly. He only had one shot at this… Blackstone took a deep breath, then pushed himself off the ground. He pulled with his tendrils at the same time, and the resulting yank launched him up over the crater wall. Blackstone felt his body starting to twist through the air and he waved his tendrils to steady himself. As he began to fall and could see his target running away from the lift.

Blackstone lashed out with his tendrils and tripped the man right before he hit the ground. Blackstone rolled to disperse his energy and used the momentum of his roll to get back on his feet in less than a second. He ran over to his target who was desperately trying to claw his way to an escape. Blackstone’s coiled tendrils grabbed his target by the shirt and lifted them off the ground. His target squirmed as his body writhed in fear and Blackstone’s nose filled with the scent of his terror. If he had a mouth on his face, he’d be smiling at how petrified this man was. “Oh God… P-Please d-don’t kill me!” Blackstone chuckled as he hoisted the sniveling man further in the air. “Oh, don’t you worry. I’m not gonna kill you…” Relief passed over the man’s eyes for a fraction of a second before Blackstone continued. “But _he_ is.” Blackstone nodded his head in a gesture to something behind him and the man turned to look. Confusion passed across the man’s face. There was no one behind him...?

**_ZAP_ **

The target’s head jerked backwards suddenly as a phaser bolt pierced his skull right in between the eyes. Their head drooped as the body went limp and smoke was easily seen rising from the recent hole that had been burned through the victim’s skull. Blackstone dropped the dead body, then turned to where the phaser shot had come from. He waved to no one in particular, then scooped up the body, and began walking back towards the crater lifts.

Nearly a mile away near the center of town, Henry knelt on the cool rooftop of one of the city’s main infrastructure buildings. He peered through the scope of his sniper rifle with his prosthetic eye and used the telescopic lenses in his prosthetic eye to magnify the image he saw. Sure enough, there was Blackstone, waving in his general direction and a dead body could be seen on the floor. Henry huffed as he stood and grabbed his sniper rifle before retreating back down into the building to rendezvous with Blackstone at the ship. Mission Accomplished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah... badass gay space bois. The one thing you didn't ask for but I gave to you anyway lmao


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackstone and Henry return from their mission and get into a bit of an argument.

Henry finished submitting the kill confirmation report and was preparing to take the ship into orbit when Blackstone appeared from the bathroom. He was shirtless, and his serrated tongue licked his teeth once before the mouth on his stomach closed. He had a bloodied napkin that he was using to rub the blood off his tendrils. Henry watched the toned muscles that covered Blackstone’s lean frame move and tense under the skin as Blackstone walked over to the passenger seat of the cockpit and sat down with a groan. Henry shot Blackstone a concerned glance before returning his focus to the ship’s controls. “You alright, Stone?” Blackstone nodded before stretching out his back and legs where he sat. “Yeah, I’m fine, it just hurts for me to shapeshift quickly. And I just finished doing quite a bit of shapeshifting.” Blackstone could hear an understanding hum from his Captain before the two fell into silence once more. Neither of them spoke until well after the autopilot was engaged. Henry’s voice broke the silence.

“I still don’t like this, Stone.” Blackstone huffed. _Of course, he’d say something._ He kept his mouth shut as Henry continued speaking. “I know I keep bringing this up but I’m genuinely worried about you being MIRA’s personal _bounty hunter_.” Blackstone folded his tendrils as he leaned back in his chair. “We’ve been over this, Henry. I’m _not_ a bounty hunter.” Henry turned towards the reclined alien next to him. “You literally go and kill whoever MIRA sends you after, and then you don’t even get paid until _after_ you confirm the kill. You're a bounty hunter.” Blackstone shook his head. “I’m called a Security Breach Specialist. If it was bounty hunting, they would’ve said so.” Henry looked out the window and his voice grew serious. “You don’t know humans like I do. They’d lie about that and more if given the chance _and_ a desirable motive.” Blackstone shrugged. “Well, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Besides, half of the extra money I make goes to the Citruses since they have another mouth to feed.”

Their… _dynamic_ conversation continued for several minutes and eventually carried on even after they were back on the New Skeld. “They aren’t being prejudice against me!” Blackstone said as they exited the ship’s hangar. Henry followed closely behind. “ _Yes, they are!”_ Henry said with his voice slightly raised. He continued following Blackstone who was briskly making his way to the cafeteria. “They _know_ you’re good at killing which is why they send _you_ on all of these kill missions! _That’s called being prejudice!”_ Some of the crewmate’s heads turned as the two entered the cafeteria, and Henry and Blackstone continued heavily debating over Blackstone’s new job. “Henry, if they were being prejudice against me, I would probably be stuck in a laboratory being experimented on and turned into a weapon.” Blackstone reasoned. Henry was quick to counter with a voice even more strained than before. “Stone, you already _are_ a weapon! That’s why you have this job!”

“HEY!”

Henry and Blackstone both turned to see Evergreen who had slammed his breakfast tray on the table. “Will you two _shut it?!_ It’s still too early to deal with your married couple _bullshit_ and I had a long night last night! Let a brother eat in peace!” Both Henry and Blackstone blushed ever so slightly. “We’re… not married…” Blackstone corrected in a small voice. Evergreen scoffed. “Well we sure as hell can’t tell. With how often you two argue with each other, I’d guess y’all been married for over ten years by now!” Evergreen hmphed before returning his attention to his breakfast. Henry rubbed the back of his neck. “Stone, I’m sorry. I just worry about you. The galaxy can be unforgiving to your kind and I… just don’t want to see you go through that stuff.” Blackstone pulled Henry into a soft hug and nuzzled his head against Henry’s soft hair. A low purring trill escaped his body as he spoke.“I know you don’t, love. And I appreciate that.” Blackstone pulled away and Henry’s body protested the sudden loss of contact. “Now… Go freshen up.” Blackstone ordered Henry as he pulled on an apron from where he stood in the kitchen. “John’s teaching me about cooking today, so no chess until later.”

As Henry was returning to the Cafeteria after a warm shower, he stopped, then slipped into Admin. Immediately Henry opened up MIRA archives and searched for the name of the man they had just given a one way ticket to the afterlife. If this man they killed really was a MIRA security leak, then what was it that MIRA was trying to protect? What information was he carrying? Henry entered in his credentials to get access to the info, but his credentials were unauthorized. Henry shrugged and tried Blackstone’s credentials since his new occupation gave him more clearance that his Captain. Henry was, once again, unauthorized. According to the computer, the people privy to the information on this file were only rank Admiral or above. Henry’s eyes narrowed. Whatever Blackstone had just taken part in was something MIRA wanted to hide very badly… and that concerned him.

Henry left Admin and entered the Cafeteria. He pushed aside the runaway train of thoughts that plagued his mind and forced himself to focus on the here and now. Breakfast, coffee, Blackstone. That’s all he needed right now. Sure enough, Blackstone sat down to join him a few minutes after Henry had grabbed a mug of coffee. Blackstone, thankfully, wasn’t drinking any. Henry shot Blackstone a warm look. “Hey, precious. How was cooking?” Blackstone’s frills undulated with embarrassment as a tendril rubbed the back of his neck. “I… nearly burned down the kitchen… _twice_.” Henry couldn’t help but laugh. “Twice?!” Blackstone chuckled sheepishly “Yeah… I didn’t mean to!” Henry continued laughing as he took another bite of his food. “Do tell!” Blackstone began recalling recent events and as he did so, Henry’s unease subsided, and the strange file was practically forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think? Is Blackstone a Security Breach Specialist, or a glorified bounty hunter? lol


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Blackstone get a mission a lot sooner than anticipated. Henry sees this as an opportunity to get some answers.

The security doors to Admin released as soon as Blackstone’s mission briefing was over. Henry stood leaning against the wall of the hallway waiting for Blackstone to leave the room. “So?” Henry asked. “What did they say?” Blackstone turned to walk alongside his Captain as the two of them made their way to storage. “We already have a new target to go after.” Henry glanced at Blackstone “Really? But we just did one.” Blackstone met Henry’s gaze. “I know, right? It’s weird. Usually there’s as much as a week in between targets but not this time apparently.” Henry’s brow furrowed as he began mulling over this new information. His thoughts couldn’t help but wander back to the strange, blocked file he’d found last night. So, he asked. “Stone, where do your orders come from?” Blackstone paused before he answered “I’m… legally not allowed to tell you that, but since I trust you, I’ll tell you anyway.” Henry waited expectantly as he stood next to a large container on the storage floor. Blackstone hesitated before speaking again.

“I don’t know.”

Henry met Blackstone’s large red eyes with his. “What do you mean you _don’t know_?” Blackstone shrugged and splayed his tendrils helplessly. “I don’t know who gives the orders! All I am told is that they’re authorized by the Board of Admirals by due process and that I shouldn’t tell this information to anyone so I’m sorry if my answer disappointed you but that’s all I’ve got.” Henry’s tone of voice switched. He softened his gaze as he spoke. “Stone, I’d never be disappointed by anything you’ve ever done. I’m just concerned for you. These missions don’t sit well with me, and now you tell me you don’t know who authorizes them and I'm just… I'm worried.” Blackstone pulled Henry into a quick embrace. “Henry, you never cease to remind me just how _lucky_ I am to have you.” Henry breathed in Blackstone’s scent as he sighed. “Same here.” Blackstone broke the embrace a few moments later and turned to open the large crate they’d been standing against. Inside the large crate was enough tactical gear and weaponry to fully arm a small elite team. Henry and Blackstone entered and began picking and choosing what they’d need for the mission.

“Any helpful tips on where to find our target?” Henry asked. Blackstone tried on a glove just for fun and was amused at how the glove fit poorly on his forked tendrils. “Well, they said that our target was also located in the Crater Market. They gave me a clear photograph of their face, and I shifted into it during the briefing so I could recognize the facial structure from any angle. Last known location was, believe it or not, the same location as our previous target.” _Same location, huh_? Henry had slipped on a phaser vest while Blackstone was talking and was putting together his Sniper Rifle when he got an idea. Henry turned towards the surveillance gear, which they usually didn’t use, and began grabbing things. Blackstone noticed. “Henry, what are you doing?” Henry slipped an earpiece into his ear and looked over the small gun in his hand as he responded. “I’m getting answers.”

The night air felt cool against Henry’s skin as the two of them lay side by side on a rooftop overlooking the crowded streets below. If their sources were correct, and they always were, their target would be at this market plaza just like their last target. Blackstone’s frills were vibrating profusely as he listened to the commotion below and he had to shut his eyes to concentrate on filtering out the layers and layers of noise that surrounded them. Before long, Blackstone’s hearing picked up on a heartbeat… a _human_ heartbeat… And it was beating very quickly. _He’s nervous…_ Blackstone’s eyes opened as he scanned the area where he thought the heartbeat had come from. Sure enough, their target was sitting at a table in a very shaded part of the plaza square talking to someone who was neither human, nor recognizable to either Henry or Blackstone. Blackstone snaked a tendril back to reach for the sniper rifle. Henry’s hand grabbed it gently as he said. “Wait a minute.” Blackstone shot Henry a questioning look. Henry raised the small gun he’d grabbed from the ship. “I wanna hear what they have to say first.” Blackstone was obviously hesitant but didn’t stop Henry as he shot the gun. A small Microphone chip embedded itself into the wall right beside their target and once activated, audio began playing in Henry’s ear.

“ _– heard it from James that the first batch of weapons goes on sale in about a week. They’re denying anyone who tries to buy in that isn’t a part of those two factions and they’re killing off anyone else who knows about it.”_

A strange, garbled voice spoke up in a language Henry couldn’t recognize. It wasn’t a human language, but from what he could guess, the tone of voice was… skeptical? Before long, the human voice spoke up again.

“ _You don’t believe me? My friend died trying to get this information to me!”_

The target held up a small info disc and shook it in front of the alien before him. More garbled speech followed. The target put the disc away again.

“ _Look I’m telling you. If you got your hands on the research inside that laboratory your clan will be unstoppable.”_

The alien siting across leaned in closer and spoke in broken English.

“ _You bring research, or we no have deal.”_

The alien stood and left their target looking slightly discouraged and more nervous than before. Henry shut off the microphone using a switch and turned towards Blackstone. “There’s some sort of secret weapon being mass produced and these two want in on it. They said something about a laboratory…” Blackstone shushed his Captain suddenly. Henry noticed Blackstone’s tense posture and grew concerned. “What is it?” Blackstone’s frills began vibrating as he listened, and his pupils went from their usual large round state to slits. He didn’t move as he said in a hushed tone, “ _We’re being watched.”_ Henry’s heartrate began to increase but he forced himself to calm down. Who was watching them? _Why_ were they watching them?... A noise made the two of them turn around. From the shadows of one of the air conditioning units, four glowing yellow eyes were staring at them. Blackstone’s back arched involuntarily as a familiar scent filled his nose. Henry watched as the air near the air conditioning unit shimmered, and before long, it changed color to reveal…

“Holy shit…” Henry breathed.

The two of them were face to face with another imposter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Territorial Blackstone, here we come! Hehehe


	5. Chapter 5

Henry’s mouth gaped open as he tried processing what he was seeing. There they were, on a rooftop in the middle of a stealth mission, their target completely forgotten, and there was another Imposter in front of them. Blackstone’s body was tense as he slowly inched in front of Henry. His frills were standing on end and vibrated in warning as he hissed at the creature before them. The yellow eyed imposter growled. Blackstone and the imposter began circling each other, and Henry backed away closer to the edge of the rooftop they were on. The imposter turned when Henry’s human scent reached it, and Henry froze where he stood. The creature noticed the gun in his hand, the sniper rifle on the edge of the cliff, then lunged for Henry.

Blackstone leapt forward and tackled the imposter while Henry dove out of the way. The two imposters tumbled as they fought each other. Henry could hear screeching and snarls as he saw claws and tendrils hack and slash at one another. Blackstone went to pin the larger imposter onto the floor when the imposter positioned its legs onto Blackstone’s stomach and kicked him off with all it’s might. Blackstone was launched several feet backwards and smacked the ground with a sickening thud. Blackstone gasped as the wind was knocked out of him and coughed at the pain that erupted through his midsection. The larger imposter stood and began stalking towards Blackstone who was still heaving in an attempt to desperately catch his breath. _Imposters shouldn’t be this strong…_

Henry pulled out his hand phaser and began shooting at the large imposter as it stalked towards Blackstone. The imposter-like creature dodged the shots without even looking and turned towards Henry. The creature sprinted towards henry with alarming speed and even though Henry jumped out of the way, the spiked tendril still snagged him on the shoulder. Henry backed away as the creature began closing the distance between them. A roar caught the imposter’s attention and just as it turned to look, Blackstone drop kicked the creature away from his Captain. The larger creature was kicked a few feet away, and it roared in retaliation to Blackstone’s resistance. Blackstone forced his instincts to quell and his pupils widened ever so slightly as he let out a shaky breath. He knew what he was dealing with now. No imposter would be this strong, large, and use the same tactic repeatedly. Now, he just needed to concentrate. “Henry, _stay back_.” He warned. Henry did as he was told and backed away while gripping the large gash on his shoulder. Blackstone stayed light on his feet as the creature charged forwards again.

The creature swiped for Blackstone’s head. Blackstone slipped under the blow easily and landed a roundhouse kick to the imposter’s gut before ducking under another swing and using his momentum to flip himself to land a smash kick to the top of the creature’s head. The creature bellowed as it grew frustrated from Blackstone’s evasive tactics and much to Blackstone’s surprise, it stopped attacking. Blackstone stayed where he was in a defensive stance. When the creature stopped attacking, he eyed it. The creature’s yellow eyes met Blackstone’s and Blackstone’s eyes widened in realization. _Those eyes…What is this thing?!_ The four yellow eyes focused on Henry. Blackstone followed the creature’s gaze and fear sank in. Blackstone sprinted just as the creature lunged to attack Henry and Blackstone grimaced as the creature’s blow landed on him except for his beloved Captain. Henry moved out of the way of the fight, but the creature persisted and attacked him again.

Blackstone kept throwing himself in between the creature and the Captain when he realized what was happening. The creature was using Henry to land an attack on him. Dread coursed through Blackstone’s veins as he grabbed the creature from behind and threw it over his shoulder. He slammed the imposter against the ground and his tendrils tightened around it’s neck like a python. The creature squirmed as it’s ability to breathe was impeded, and it took all of Blackstone’s strength to hold onto it. The creature flared it’s large tendrils intentionally and the sharp tips jabbed into the tendrils coiled around it’s neck. Blackstone screeched at the pain and his grip involuntarily loosened just enough that the creature could pull his tendrils off from around it’s neck. The creature tossed Blackstone to the side and turned to attack Henry again…

**_CRACK_ **

Henry’s sniper rifle rang out without it’s silencer throughout the cold night, and the large creature staggered backwards as the shot landed in it’s left shoulder.

**_CRACK_ **

Henry fired again and the creature fell to it’s knees as the shot passed through its right leg. Blackstone rushed over to where Henry was, grabbed him around the waist, and without thinking, leapt off the rooftop. The large creature staggered over to where the two had jumped off and looked down. It’s yellow eyes squinted against the darkness of the shady alleyway down below. It didn’t see anything. The creature huffed as it sniffed the cool air. The scent of human was definitely here, but it was faint… They must’ve gotten away. The large creature grimaced as it tried placing weight on it’s injured right leg and slowly lumbered away…

At the bottom of the alleyway was a large dumpster. From inside the dumpster, a pair of glowing red eyes peeked through the small opening of the broken dumpster lid. Blackstone was gripping Henry to his chest with a tendril wrapped around his mouth and nose to silence his breathing. Blackstone’s frills vibrated as he listened for the sounds of the creature above them. Eventually, Blackstone’s frills stilled and the two climbed out of the dumpster. The two panted as they sat side by side in the empty alleyway and Henry turned to Blackstone, eyes full of concern. “Stone, are you ok?” Blackstone didn’t acknowledge Henry’s question as he silently stared at the ground in front of him. “Stone?” Henry asked again. Blackstone’s eyes met his Captain’s and Henry’s heart all but stopped. Blackstone was scared.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The two shaken crewmates are back on the ship. Blackstone explains why he's so frightened

Henry and Mr. Citrus trailed behind Blackstone as he stormed through the ship towards Admin. Mr. Citrus was desperately trying to get the two of them to report to Med bay so he could treat their injuries. Neither of them would listen. Henry was still calling after Blackstone who kept marching at a pace that required Henry to jog just to keep up with him. “Stone talk to me! Why did that imposter attack us? Why are you scared?” Blackstone stopped where he was and turned around. He pointed a tendril towards the Hangar entrance and spoke in an almost shrill voice. “That… _thing_ was _not_ an imposter!” Henry blinked as his mind processed the words Blackstone just said. He opened his mouth to say something else, when Blackstone groaned and leaned against the wall to hold himself up. Mr. Citrus began to yell at the both of them. “Henry, Blackstone, I swear to GOD if you don’t get your _sorry asses_ into med bay, I will stun both of ya, and drag you there _myself!”_

The two reluctantly agreed and Henry wrapped Blackstone’s tendril around his body to support him as they walked past Admin and into Med bay. Blackstone grimaced as Mr. Citrus examined the large bruises across his body. “Well, you got lucky, Stone. No severe damage to your abdominal area. However, you do have some contusions that’ll take a few days to heal up completely. I’ll go get you some pain meds. And _don’t fucking move.”_ The two sighed as Mr. Citrus left and silence shrouded them both. Henry had questions… So many questions… But forced himself to stay quiet. Blackstone will answer them when he wanted to. Henry was about to close his eyes to rest them when Blackstone spoke up from where he was on the med bay bed.

“I thought it was a Lesser…”

Henry looked up confused. Blackstone met henry’s confused eyes and elaborated. “The creature… I thought it was a lesser.” Henry was still confused. “What’s a lesser?” Blackstone sighed. He should’ve known Henry wouldn’t know about this. A beat of silence passed between them before Blackstone spoke. “Lessers are a subspecies of Imposters. They’re larger, stronger, and much faster than any normal imposter. Henry blinked. “So… then why call them Lessers?” Blackstone kept his eyes trained on the ceiling above as he explained. “Lessers are more… _animalistic_ than we imposters are. They’re practically feral. They lack the cognitive ability to think or learn like ourselves. They are creatures of instinct and will be territorial for anything that they claim.” Henry felt unease pool in his gut. He didn’t like where this was going and kept silent as Blackstone continued. “They’re known to be easily overpowered because of their lack of cognitive ability, but _that thing…_ ” Blackstone shook his head before meeting Henry’s eyes.

“It was _intelligent,_ Henry. I stared at it and when I did, I could tell it was watching… Thinking… _Learning…”_ Blackstone grimaced as he shifted on the bed. His eyes stared at the ceiling and a beat of silence passed before Blackstone finally added. “That creature we went up against… It shouldn’t _exist_ , Henry.” Henry didn’t know what to say so he just reached from where he was sitting and grabbed Blackstone’s forked tendril. He rubbed it reassuringly and he could feel Blackstone relax at his touch. Mr. Citrus returned with painkillers and stitches for the gash on Henry’s arm. After Blackstone swallowed the painkillers his body relaxed further, and Henry felt at ease when Blackstone finally fell asleep. As Mr. Citrus stitched his arm, a question showed up. “Kev?” Mr. Citrus didn’t look up from what he was doing but replied anyway. “Yeah?”

Henry hesitated before he asked the question in his mind. “Is it possible for a creature to breed with a member of it’s subspecies?” Mr. Citrus paused as he thought about what his captain just asked. “Well, theoretically it is, but even then, that doesn’t tend to happen.” Mr. Citrus observed Henry who was deep in thought. “Why do you ask, Henry? Something on your mind?” Henry stared at the sleeping imposter on the bed for a few moments longer before finally saying. “No… It’s probably not important.” He made a mental note to do more research later. Mr. Citrus finished up with Henry’s stitches and wrapped his arm in gauze before giving him some painkillers and leaving the two injured officers to rest. Henry remained silent as he thought over the recent events that had taken place. There was more to this than meets the eye, and he was determined to find out what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Mr. Citrus needs a raise. Taking care of stubborn, gay alien bounty hunters was not part of his job description...


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackstone attempts to escape med bay. Henry goes to report their failed mission when he finds an unexpected surprise.

Blackstone awoke gradually on his own and groaned as he sat up from where he lay on one of the soft med bay beds. He looked around and noticed immediately that Henry was nowhere to be seen. _Probably off doing my tasks…_ Blackstone mused. Henry always felt obligated to pick up the slack for someone whenever they needed a day off, and from how stiff Blackstone’s body felt, he was probably asleep for over 12 hours. Blackstone slid his legs gingerly off the med bay bed and winced at the throbbing ache all over his midsection. He stood, gradually, and breathed deeply as he rode out the wave of pain that his body generated in protest of his movement. Blackstone huffed as he left med bay. Part of him was starving. However, his stomach was bruised so he was pretty sure that eating anything would not end well. A wave of nausea at the familiar smell of humans nearby confirmed his thought process.

Regardless, Blackstone sniffed at the air, searching for Henry’s scent. His head instinctively turned right and he began following Henry’s trail through the Cafeteria towards Admin. As he was walking an angered voice rang out from behind him.

“Blackstone! What the _fuck_ are you doing _out of bed?!”_

 _Shit…_ Blackstone began to walk briskly without even turning to acknowledge the angry medical officer storming after him. “ _Get your ass back here!!”_ Mr. Citrus called. As Blackstone approached Admin, he noticed the Confidential Doors were activated. _Henry must be reporting the failed mission…_ Blackstone thought. However, as soon as Blackstone got in front of the Admin doors, they opened, and he was face to face with his captain. Henry blinked in surprise. “Oh! Stone! Nice to see you’re on your feet again.”

“He sure as Hell _won’t be_ once I’m done with him!” Mr. Citrus exclaimed as he marched up to his superior officers. He stuck an accusing finger in Blackstone’s face. “ _You_ aren’t supposed to leave that damn med bay until _I_ say so. I have _one job_ on this damn ship and, by God, I’m gonna do it!” Henry gave Blackstone a patronizing look. “Stone, I thought you were released from med bay.” Blackstone shrugged defensively. “What? I can _walk!_ I’m fine!” Mr. Citrus scoffed. “Knowing your anatomy, you can probably barely _breathe_ without doubling over and heaving your guts out!” Blackstone huffed in annoyance. The doctor was right, of course, but that shouldn’t matter… “Stone, as captain, I _order you_ to go back to med bay until Kev releases you.” Blackstone somehow pouted with what little facial features he had as he began heading back the way he came. “It’s not like _you’re_ any better, Henry.”

Henry chuckled as he followed the black and orange crew members back into the Med Bay. Blackstone grimaced as he lay back down gingerly, and Mr. Citrus scoffed as he grabbed more painkillers. “Take these. I’ll get you some water. If you move from this bed again, I _will_ stun you.” Blackstone huffed in annoyance then asked. “What if I need to use the restroom?” Mr. Citrus shot him a look. It was clear he was 100% done with the stubborn alien’s bullshit when he said. “Stone… you don’t _defecate.”_ Henry began laughing at the two of them as Blackstone shrugged. “Worth a shot, I guess…” Mr. Citrus left Med Bay and the two senior officers of the New Skeld were left alone in Med Bay. A beat of silence passed, and when their eyes met, neither of them could help but blush slightly. Henry cleared his throat before he spoke. “Stone, there’s something important I need to talk to you about.” Blackstone nodded, and shifted how he lay in the bed ever so slightly to better face his Captain. He waited for the captain to continue.

“It’s about our last mission.” Blackstone’s eyes grew serious and his pupils began to pull into slits ever so slightly as he recalled their strange encounter with the intelligent Lesser. Henry began talking. “I went to report our mission was jeopardized, but when I opened the file it said our mission was completed _and_ that it was successful.” Blackstone’s eyes widened slightly as he processed the words his Captain said. “… _What?”_ Henry elaborated. “The file has kill-evidence and it shows a bodycam view of an imposter skewering and killing our target. _That wasn’t us._ ” Blackstone was silent. There was only one possible explanation as to who it was that killed their target. “The _Lesser_ killed our target… And had a _bodycam?”_ Henry nodded slowly. The weight of what was said began to settle on them both. The only way for that bodycam footage to have existed was if it was recorded by a MIRA administered bodycam. Blackstone was slow to speak, almost as if what he said was taboo, or if he was being monitored… “So… That… _creature_ … Is with MIRA?” Henry shrugged slowly. “That’s the only logical explanation.”

Blackstone averted his gaze as he internalized the new information. He began to think out loud. “So, if the creature is with MIRA… then _why attack us?_ What was it that required them to send that creature after us?” Henry was at a loss of an explanation and just shrugged as a sickening feeling pooled in his gut. If the creature was sent by MIRA after the same target, it’s quite possible the creature just tried protecting the target so it could get the kill… _But what if that wasn’t the case?_ What if the creature was sent after them specifically? The two locked eyes with each other. “Stone, there’s obviously something else at play here. There’s something that MIRA doesn’t want us to see… and I think that target we were sent after was part of the answer.” Blackstone’s four red eyes filled with a mixture of realization and concern at the words Henry spoke. _“Captain…_ ” Blackstone said. His voice raised in volume instinctively as concern welled up in his throat. “Whatever you’re intending to do would be considered-“

Blackstone froze as Rose, Jessica, and Goldie walked past the open med bay door. A long pause filled the time that passed as Blackstone continued listening to their fading footsteps and conversation from where they were. After they were sure no one else was coming, Blackstone leaned towards Henry, and continued at a barely audible whisper. “Henry, what you’re considering is _treason.”_ A seriousness filled Henry’s eyes that Blackstone had never encountered before. He’d have thought it was hot if he wasn’t in this current situation. Henry’s hand caressed Blackstone’s face and Blackstone felt a shiver travel down his spine at the feel of the Captain’s fingers against the airways that framed his face. His breath hitched as Henry’s serious eyes stared deeper into his. “I know what I’m considering is treason, Stone… But if it ensures your safety, then it will have all been worth it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It isn't exactly fluff, but I gotta remind myself sometimes that the rest of humanity feels emotion and isnt constantly in a grey area like me. Haha
> 
> Quick heads up to you, my lovelies. Due to college application deadlines fast approaching and me being enrolled in 5 AP classes, I regret to inform you that I will not be able to keep up the one chapter a day schedule that I had originally set in place. I will try to release as many chapters as possible on weekends. I am unsure as to when I am going to make this schedule shift, just be prepared for a change in chapter releases in the near future. 
> 
> That's all. Love you!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crew receive unexpected orders to head to Polus as soon as possible.
> 
> Shit's about to get real, so have some slight fluff instead.

Per Captain’s orders, Blackstone remained where he was in the med bay until Mr. Citrus finally released him. He could stand, move, and breathe without any difficulty, and the contusions all over his body had reduced to mild bruises. Henry, since he was human, took longer to heal, and his arm still required daily maintenance from the orange suited doctor. The stitches looked so foreign to Blackstone since the last time Henry needed stitches was when Blackstone was in a coma fighting against the worst infection of his life. Upon seeing the angry looking wound, Blackstone could feel the scars on his back tingle with a ghost like feeling of pain. He never knew viewing someone else injured could trigger such a psychosomatic response out of him and was actually quite fascinated. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but stare at the starch red wound on Henry’s sculpted upper body and feel a small twinge of frustration. How _dare_ that creature violate something so perfect…

“Stone, are you listening?”

Henry’s voice shook the black skinned alien out of his daze, and Blackstone’s markings darkened in a blush as he cleared his throat. “Uh, no. I got… distracted… Please continue.” Mr. Citrus shot Blackstone a sly smirk before turning back to the stitches in Henry’s arm. Henry didn’t notice as he continued talking. “Well, as I was saying, we’ve received orders to go to Polus. Apparently, they want our expertise to participate in a few groundbreaking experiments that are going to take place there. They said they were developing new exploration tech that they wanted us to test out specifically.” Blackstone nodded in acknowledgement before asking. “How long are we going to be stationed there?” Henry went to shrug, but Mr. Citrus smacked him upside the head for moving. Henry got the picture and remained still as he responded. “According to the mission file, we could be looking at a prolonged stay of up to 2 and a half weeks.” Mr. Citrus stopped what he was doing and looked up. “ _Weeks?!_ But I can’t contact Mary while we’re on Polus and my daughter’s 1st birthday is in a few days!” Henry, still afraid to move lest he get slapped again, stayed put but talked in a reassuring voice. “That’s alright. I can see if we’ll be allowed to remain on the New Skeld for an extra day or two so that we can celebrate her birthday with you.”

Blackstone’s heart warmed at the show of thoughtfulness that his Captain showed to his crew. It was a trait that never ceased to amaze him. For one to have that much selflessness was seldom ever seen… even in humans. Blackstone’s thoughts were soon interrupted again once Mr. Citrus finished with Henry’s arm and the two left the med bay to prepare the evening tasks for the crew to plot a course to Polus. As the two stood in Admin, Blackstone noticed Henry’s face was frowning more than usual, which usually meant something was troubling him. So, Blackstone took it upon himself to ask. “Captain? Are you alright?” Henry looked up from where he was and swiped away a window that was open on his side of the Admin tabletop computer. Blackstone could still catch a glimpse of what the page was. _Why are you researching subspecies, Henry?_ Henry was a bit hesitant to reply. “Uh. Yeah. Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.” Blackstone’s face grew a deadpanned look on it as he just stared at his Captain. Henry shrank under the patronizing gaze. “…Alright, fine… I’m worried about our last bounty hunting mission.”

“ _Henry…”_ Blackstone said.

Henry corrected himself. “Fine… _Security Breach Specialist_ mission.” Blackstone huffed in amusement at the exasperated tone Henry had taken in doing so. Blackstone walked around until he stood behind Henry who was still leaning over the Admin table. Blackstone’s tendrils slowly snaked around Henry’s waist and gently pulled him into a hug as he spoke. “My love, you’re going to over stress yourself by growing obsessed over this. I understand it’s a problem that needs addressing, but your well being is important too, you know…” Henry sighed as he finally straightened from where he was and leaned his head back so that it rested in the warm crook of Blackstone’s neck. He turned his head slightly and breathed in the alien’s warm, slightly sweet scent before letting out a long sigh. “What would I do without you, Stone?” Blackstone scoffed lightly as he swayed the two of them slightly. “Work yourself to death is my guess.” Henry smiled slightly as they continued to sway in an embrace for a few moments.

“I _refuse_ to believe you two haven’t _fucked_ each other already.”

The two superior officers immediately snapped their gazes to the entrance to Admin and noticed Azul leaning on the doorframe. As Blackstone released his tendrils, he could feel Henry’s body tense up, and the scent of his possessive impulse filled Blackstone’s nose almost instantly. Henry began to speak, and a warning tone laced his words. “Azul…”

“No need, Captain…” Blackstone interrupted Henry as he sidled over to the side of the Admin table and leaned against it. He met Azul’s gaze with a sly smile playing on his nonexistent facial features as he continued. “Considering _Azul’s_ history of relationships, I would’ve probably been quite _disappointed_ if he hadn’t asked that question sooner or later.” Henry snorted in laughter and Azul flinched like he’d been slapped across the face. A genuine smile crossed his face as he shook his head in disbelief. “ _Damn_ that hurt!” The two could hear Azul chuckling as he left to go finish whatever he was doing. Henry turned to face the alien with a chuckle. "Where the _hell_ did you learn to talk like that, Stone?" Blackstone shrugged as he continued to seemingly smirk with his gaze while he said, "Tasks weren't the _only_ thing I learned at the academy, Captain."

After evening tasks were assigned and the crew dispersed to begin their sudden reroute to Polus, Henry approached Blackstone who was busy running diagnostics on the ship’s security systems. “Stone?” The alien turned from where he was seated and Henry damn near choked as he took in what he saw. Blackstone blinked and tilted his head in confusion. “Are you alright, Captain?” Henry began making unintelligible noises as he gestured towards Blackstone’s face before his brain finally caught up with him and he managed to spit out a sentence. “Since when did you have _GLASSES?!”_ Blackstone’s red eyes peered through the spectacles on his face before removing them to show to Henry. “I was given a pair when I went to the Academy. I was having trouble reading things up close so they gave me a customized pair that can properly sit on my face since I don’t have human ears.” Henry blinked as he looked Stone up and down. The glasses frames were a silvery color and stood out against his dark skin. They sat comfortably on the bone ridge in the center of his face and the way they framed his face made him look _so_ smart…

Blackstone’s marking’s darkened in a blush as Henry continued staring and he spoke in a slightly timid voice. “Uhm… Do you like them?” Henry nodded in an almost dazed fashion before speaking. “Is it possible for you to get any hotter?” Blackstone was about to answer, when he stopped himself. “I’m… not quite sure what you mean by that.” Henry shook his head and waved away the already sinful thoughts his imagination was cooking up. “Never mind that. I came here to get you. We have a conference call we need to attend.” Blackstone tilted his head in curiosity and stood. “Who are we meeting?” Henry began explaining to his Second in Command as the two marched their way towards Admin. “Apparently we’re meeting the one in charge of all the new technological advancements over on Polus. They wanted to talk to us to give us a more thorough heads up as to what we’re going to be doing there.” The two entered Admin and pressed the Confidential Button. The security doors to Admin shut closed. In the dim glow of the green Admin table, Henry answered the holographic conference call that was already waiting for them. The hologram activated, and soon the two were staring at a holographic image of an older man in a crisp military uniform who greeted them with a warm, fatherly smile that neither couldn’t help but smile at in response.

“Good evening! I’m Head Admiral Andrew Skinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackstone Has Glasses!!!  
> I've decided that all imposters are far sighted. Since Blackstone has to deal with computer screens and English stuff, I figured it would be a nice touch to have him wear glasses.  
> 
> 
> Oh shit we're at 8 chapters already??? That means a bonus chapter is coming up soon...
> 
> I'm thinking of doing an explanation as to what Lessers are for the sake of further understanding the story. Think that's a good plan for this bonus chapter?
> 
> I'll also add some fanart links at the end of the chapter if you all want to send me anything!
> 
> Until next time, my lovelies!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew celebrate the birthday of Mr. Citrus’s daughter before they report to Polus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM OFFICIALLY BACK!!!
> 
> I will be updating as much as humanly possible this week to make up for the time I've lost. I won't be able to maintain the one chapter a day schedule I originally followed and instead will try to update on weekends... at least...

The crew had spent all morning using what colored paper they had to make makeshift decorations. Despite MIRA regulations, Captain Henry allowed the crew to wear civilian clothing to embrace the celebratory feel so that their makeshift party felt… y’know… more like a party than a mandatory business meeting. Blackstone, being the tallest being on the ship, was spending most of his time taping decorations to the top of the room. John Brown was churning out fresh party snacks and adult drinks for the crew faster than humanly possible (because there were no children present), and Henry was trying his best not to indulge himself in one of the treats before they were ready. All in all, the gathering was shoddily put together, but the crew were all happy and enjoyed themselves regardless of how depressed Blackstone’s poor decorations looked.

Around noon, the holographic communicator that had been moved to the center of the cafeteria was activated, and Mr. Citrus made the call. The familiar form of Mary materialized in the air, and the crewmates greeted her with a friendly cheer. Mary smiled warmly and greeted all of the crewmates. Blackstone observed her closely. Mrs. Citrus was thinner now and looked stronger. Her hair was done in a messy bun on her head, but she was well dressed and nowhere near as frail looking as she had last been when Blackstone had last seen her. Mr. Citrus came forward expectantly and after a warm greeting asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Where’s the birthday girl?”

“She’s over in the kitchen! I’ll be right back!” Mrs. Citrus replied before stepping out of view of the camera. The holographic communicator was blank for a short pause until Mrs. Citrus stepped back into view holding a young infant dressed in a small outfit that resembled a MIRA authorized space suit. “Here’s Clementine, everyone!” Once again, the crewmates all cheered and Blackstone couldn’t help but observe all of the events that were unfolding in front of him. Clementine was greeted warmly by all of the other crewmates, ad everyone awed as she reached out to try and touch her father through the viewing screen. Her eyes were full of curiosity, and Blackstone could tell she didn’t really understand what was going on.

Henry quite literally pulled Blackstone out of his thoughts, and before he knew it, Blackstone was face to face with the tiny toddler in Mary’s arms. Upon seeing Blackstone, baby Clementine smiled and reached for Blackstone as she cooed happily. Henry pat Blackstone on the shoulder before commenting. “She recognizes you!” Blackstone couldn’t help but feel a little prideful and he waved a forked tendril at the still smiling child. Clementine’s stubby little arm waved back in response and everyone awed at the adorable sight before them. Blackstone’s heart filled with a warmth he was unfamiliar with and something in the back of his head immediately determined that he would do anything to ensure that Clementine would stay happy. _Is this what being a parent feels like?_ He wondered, as he moved aside for the other crewmates to talk to Mary since baby Clementine couldn’t do more than just babble happily.

“Hon, I’m so sorry I couldn’t call you on the day of her birthday.” Mr. Citrus apologized while the other crewmates dispersed and began eating the delectable treats John Brown had made. Mr. Citrus adjusted how Clementine sat in her arms before giving a nonchalant shrug. “Don’t worry about it! I know how Polus gets! You forget I was _stationed_ for a few years, _until you came along_.” Mr. Citrus chuckled as he leaned against the cafeteria table and replied with a sly smile on his face. “Me transferring you off planet was the greatest decision of my life. And I don’t regret it to this day.” Mary smiled warmly at the remark from her beloved husband and she said one final goodbye to the rest of the New Skeld crew before signing off and leaving the rest of them to continue their off duty gathering. Mr. Citrus stared for a few moments longer at the deactivated holographic communicator, deep in thought when Henry’s voice snapped him out of his daze. “Azul! Don’t get drunk! We gotta leave for Polus first thing tomorrow, and I’m sure Rose wouldn’t want to deal with you hungover!”

The crew arrived at Polus a day later than their intended arrival time, and Henry was frazzled at how late they were. I mean… the best crew in all of MIRA? Late for the _Head Admiral?!_ The _nerve_ of some crews nowadays… Regardless, poor Blackstone was left having to deal with Henry’s constant nit picking. Which tends to happen when he gets nervous. Wrinkles got you yelled at, informal language got you the death stare, and if anyone was out of uniform at all, Henry would be mere moments away from having a panic attack. Everything had to be _perfect_ and Blackstone, as the second in command, was left making sure that everything was, indeed, perfect.

After nearly an hour of dealing with Henry’s nervous perfectionism crisis, the small transport ship landed, and the crew members stepped off of the entrance ramp onto the dark ground of Polus. Wind whipped around the small laboratory buildings with fervor and blatantly clawed and scratched at the suits the crewmates wore in a desperate attempt to chill them to the bone. Blackstone took in his surroundings from where he stood by Henry’s side in his augmented space suit. The ground seemed almost purple in color, and the sky was full of dark, ominously gray clouds. The buildings on the base were very small and low to the ground. Their exteriors were streaked with obvious signs of wear and tear from vicious exposure to the natural elements of the planet, and Blackstone stifled the urge to shake his head. They had to spend a few weeks… In _these_ conditions?

The crew were approached by a man in a large white coat. The man waved at them as he approached and Henry waved back. The man in the coat gestured to the nearest building he had come from and had to speak louder than normal to be heard over the frigid howling air. “ _How about we go inside? It’s a lot warmer, I promise!”_ The crew all nodded and followed the coated man as they were led to the nearest building. Upon entering, the doors hissed shut behind them, and the coated man took off the coverings on his face as he sighed. “Ah… that’s much better. Sorry for the surprise storm you had to deal with. I was expecting you to arrive yesterday.” Henry stifled a grimace under his breath, and when he missed the opportunity to say something, Blackstone jumped in to speak for him. “Well, sir, we did have some business to take care of. But this minor inconvenience is no problem to us. What’s a little wind and rain ever done to anyone anyway?” The coated man chuckled as he peeled off his large overcoat to reveal a cleanly pressed, and well decorated, military uniform. The crewmates all snapped to attention and saluted the Head Admiral. This time, It was Henry that spoke up for his crew. “Admiral Skinner, sir. We were not expecting to be greeted by you directly.” The admiral returned their salute.

“At ease, men.” Admiral Skinner stated with a warm smile. “It gets a little boring up here so I tend to enjoy taking care of the front door every once in a while.” The crew all politely chuckled as they relaxed from their formal stance. They brushed the flurries of snow off their suits and stomped sludge off their boots. Admiral Skinner came over to shake Henry’s hand who had taken off his spacesuit helmet and began to speak. “The Soldier Worth a Thousand Men…” He shook his head as he appraised the decorated young man in front of him before continuing. “I’m a huge fan of your work on the Martian Theatre. You are by far one of the best strategists that humanity has ever seen.” Henry rubbed the back of his neck in a bashful way. He felt like a kid after a father said they were proud of what they’d done. He couldn’t help but smile and Admiral Skinner’s smile only widened further before he turned to face Blackstone.

Blackstone straightened once more, and the Admiral had to tilt his head up to meet the tall alien’s four red eyes. After a moment of taking in the details of Blackstone’s face, Admiral Skinner spoke again. “Incredible… The first Imposter crewmate in MIRA history… It’s a pleasure to meet you, son.” Blackstone’s coiled tendrils shook the Admiral’s hand and he could feel himself physically relax. This Admiral was like the father figure everyone needed… And everyone _loved_ it. Admiral Skinner met the eyes of each of the crewmates before flashing another award-winning fatherly smile. “Well now… I guess I should give you a tour, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As compensation for being gone for so long, I shall give you links to some new art I've made of the crew in this note section. Expect more art to show up later!
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/elizabethinkheart/art/Blackstone-with-Glasses-860947555
> 
> https://sta.sh/0rtn21qgft8


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admiral Skinner shows the crew around Polus. Something catches Henry’s eye and he talks to Blackstone about it.

The crew were led from building to building via large clear tunnels that connected from one doorway to another. Mr. Citrus commented that these tunnels weren’t in place when Mrs. Citrus was stationed here several years ago. The Admiral was happy to explain that Polus had a lot of recent developments that have improved the overall quality of the base exponentially. Once just a shabby outpost, Polus was now one of the best research bases in MIRA. The crew all found this quite impressive considering the small sparsely spaced buildings littered across the purple planet’s surface. Upon passing through electrical, Henry watched as a guard nodded towards the Admiral before entering a small broom closet in the security room and shutting the door behind him. _Odd…_ Henry thought. _Why would a science base need guards?_ Henry made a mental note to ask the Admiral about it, however, as they went to the next room, Henry’s question soon left him.

As the crew made their way to storage and approached another doorway labeled _East Wing_ , Rose, being the Chief Science officer of the Skeld, asked “Hey, Admiral. You keep mentioning these cutting-edge labs, but we haven’t seen them. Where are they?” The Admiral shot another award-winning smile and nodded his head towards the shut doorway in front of them before he spoke. “You’ll see…” The wide doorway opened to reveal a lift. After Admiral Skinner gestured with his arm, the crew filed into the lift obediently. The doors closed and began to descend. Rose took in the lift when she turned around and noticed the back wall was glass. As they lowered, her eyes widened as they could see the entire layout of the underground The individual buildings covered an area the size of a small subdivision, and from where they were, the buildings resembled a tiny underground city fit with roads and sidewalks. Rose gasped as her eyes widened with awe while they lowered further. “Oh…” She exclaimed. “Its amazing!” The Admiral scoffed. “You should see the West- I mean the… Planetarium.” Rose turned with a beaming smile on her face. “They have a planetarium?!” The crew laughed at her eager childish nature. Blackstone noticed Admiral Skinner’s heartbeat change in rhythm ever so slightly, but he paid no attention to it. The Admiral, was older after all…

The crew exited the long tunnel that led to the lifts they just finished disembarking from and began getting shown around the underground buildings. They had the latest scientific equipment and were experimenting with everything from quantum computation to planetary terraforming. Both Rose and Jessica were as giddy as children on Christmas as they eagerly went from one lab to the next and the next gawking over the groundbreaking research taking place. Upon passing the experimental weaponry, both Azul and Evergreen grew way more interested, and they began chattering excitedly about the different guns that they could try out while they stayed here. Lavender stared wide eyed at a virtual reality piloting setup they passed in another building and made a mental note to try that later. Both Henry and Blackstone had their attention captured by a large simulation square, and they glanced at each other excitedly. That would be fun to practice in…

Admiral Skinner’s tour seemed to end all too soon, and before long, the crew found themselves back at the lifts. Admiral Skinner began explaining where they were going to stay as they walked back towards Electrical. “Unfortunately we don’t have the funds to afford living accommodations underground, so what we did instead was repurpose the laboratory above ground to some cozy living spaces. Its usually nice and warm because of how close it is to the Red Cliff, so you shouldn’t worry about being cold. However…” The Admiral waved the crew over and pointed to a panel on the wall of various electronics before continuing. “Because it’s so close to the Red Cliff, the cooling system draws a _lot_ of power. That being said, it’ll be up to you all to turn the electric cooling onto manual cooling once you all report to the East Wing for your daily equipment testing.” Blackstone nudged Henry with a tendril. Henry leaned in to hear Blackstone as the alien whispered. “What does he mean by the _Red Cliff?_ ” Henry huffed a chuckle under his breath before whispering back. “He’s talking about the lava pit right next to the base. The people who work here call the edge of that crater the Red Cliff.” Blackstone said a small _oh_ , before turning his attention back to what the Admiral was saying.

Henry went to refocus on Admiral Skinner’s words again too when movement caught his eye. Henry turned to see a guard leave the small broom closet that he’d noticed earlier. He squinted his eyes as the armed guard slipped behind the group and disappeared down a different clear tunnel. Sure enough, the ID numbers on the guard’s badge matched the one before. _Why would a guard be in a broom closet for nearly an hour?_ Henry’s gaze turned back to the closed door of the broom closet and he glared at it while he pondered over what could _possibly_ be behind that door? So… he asked. “Admiral? Sir?” Admiral Skinner turned to face Captain Henry. “Yes, son?” Henry pointed at the broom closet door in Security and asked in a forced curious tone. “What's in that room?” Admiral Skinner followed where Henry was pointing, and he paused ever so slightly before answering. “Oh! That’s just a broom closet. We gotta keep this place clean somehow!” To prove it, Admiral Skinner walked over, and opened the door wide to reveal a small room full of various cleaning supplies. He shrugged before adding. “I know it’s not impressive, but it’s here for a reason. Heh.” The crew all chuckled at the Admiral’s comment. All of them except Henry.

The crew all settled into their temporary dorms. However, due to space, each room had to accommodate two crewmates. Obviously, Henry bunked with Blackstone. As Blackstone set up the bed to accommodate for his longer legs and abnormal sleeping habits, Henry stared at the ceiling silently. Blackstone, with his back turned, broke the verbal silence between them. “Henry, I can almost _hear_ your brainwaves from here because of how hard you’re thinking. Now before you have an _aneurysm_ , would you like to tell me what’s on your mind?” Henry sighed and shook his head before he spoke. “Stone, there’s something in that broom closet.” Blackstone, knowing that there was more, waited for the thought to finish. Upon being met with silence, he turned with a tendril on his hip as he said expectantly. “ _And…?”_ Henry shot him a glance before returning his serious gaze to the ceiling. “…I think it’s the answer to the mysterious Bounty Hunting missions.” Blackstone sighed before sitting down on the bed. “Henry, you have no way to prove that.” Henry sat up quickly and faced Blackstone from his bed on the opposite side of the room as he spoke.

“Did you not notice the guard that was in the broom closet?” Blackstone shrugged. “Of course, I noticed, Henry. But it’s just a broom closet. The Admiral even showed it to us.” Henry was shaking his head almost frantically as he met Blackstone’s red eyes. “Stone, people don’t stay in broom closets for _over an hour._ ” Blackstone shrugged and a beat of silence passed between them before Blackstone spoke. “Henry, even if that broom closet _is_ more than it seems, it’s probably hiding something for a reason. And if the Admiral didn’t tell us about it, we _shouldn’t_ concern ourselves with it.” Henry stood, marched over to where Blackstone was, and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Stone, don’t you remember how _terrified_ you were when we faced that Lesser?! Do you seriously want to have that happen again?” Blackstone’s pupils shrank ever so slightly as his gaze hardened. “ _Of Course, not!”_ He hissed. “I just don’t want you diving head -first and committing _treason_ for no good reason!”

Henry huffed in frustration and turned away from Blackstone. Blackstone stood and reached out for Henry as he called after him gently. “Henry…” Henry turned, and the sheer unbridled worry plastered on Henry’s face stopped Blackstone in his tracks, and made the words die in Blackstone’s throat. Henry overpowered the silence in an almost desperate tone of voice. “Stone, _please!_... I’m getting a really bad feeling about this, and I don’t want…” He sighed as he dropped his gaze and finally revealed the main reason as to why he was so obsessed with this. “Stone, I _can’t_ lose you… I just… can’t.” Blackstone sighed and gently tilted Henry’s head up with his tendril so that his red eyes met Henry’s mismatched blue ones. “I can’t lose you either, Henry. That’s why I am so against this.” Henry turned away, and the wave of stubbornness that radiated off of him was almost tangible… So, Blackstone brought himself to finish what he was saying. “ _But,_ since you, being the _stubborn_ Captain that you are, are most likely going to go investigate without me, I’ll go with you.”

Henry turned where he was and met Blackstone’s eyes with a look of surprise, that melted away for genuine gratitude. “Oh, Stone…” The two closed the distance between them simultaneously, and embraced for a long moment. With his face buried into Blackstone’s strong neck, Henry asked rhetorically, “What would I ever do without you, Stone.” Blackstone rubbed circles against Henry’s back and let another tendril slide through Henry’s soft blonde hair as he replied. “We may never know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know I'm supposed to do a bonus chapter for every 10 chapters, but I'm on a bit of a time crunch in terms of getting this story done in time and even though I'm back, I'm still VERY busy. That being said, I'll give you all two more pieces of art as compensation, and just keep chugging along for the rest of the story. Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/elizabethinkheart/art/Mistletoe-862144840
> 
> https://sta.sh/017dvhttkb6t


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Blackstone go to investigate the strange broom closet.

The two left their dorm room in the dead of night. Blackstone’s frills were constantly vibrating as he listened for anyone nearby, and Henry led the two of them as they briskly, and silently, walked down the empty tunnel leading from the repurposed laboratory to the main office building. The two increased their pace as they neared the office when the Admiral entered the office building from the clear tunnel they were aiming for. His eyes fell on the two of them and their hearts leapt up into their throats.

“Captain?”

 _Shit…_ The two smiled as Admiral Skinner walking approached them with another warm smile on his face. As he approached, Henry and Blackstone saluted him. The Admiral returned their salute before asking. “What are you two doing up at such a time of night?” Henry was the first to reply. “I was thirsty.” He said, maybe a little bit too quickly. Blackstone nodded and said not a moment later, “And I can’t sleep.” The Admiral gave a nod of understanding and the three of them sort of stood there a bit awkwardly before the Admiral spoke up again. “Hey, if you two don’t mind me asking…” Henry and Blackstone both tilted their heads expectantly, and the Admiral continued with his question. “So, are you two… y’know…” Henry gave a surprised _oh_ and chuckled sheepishly as he slipped an arm around Blackstone’s waist who was still unsure what the Admiral was asking. “Yes, sir.” Henry answered. “We are, indeed in a relationship.” At Henry’s response, Blackstone’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Oh! So _that’s_ what you were asking!” The three of them chuckled and the Admiral continued speaking. “Well… is it… _serious?_ Or...” Henry opened his mouth but hesitated to respond. Blackstone, not understanding what the Admiral meant, answered anyway.

“Well, of course, it’s serious. What other kind of relationship is there?” The Admiral blinked in surprise and looked Henry. “ _Really?!”_ Henry’s face flushed red as he tried to correct the answer Blackstone had given. “No, sir! We’re not… I mean… He doesn’t…” he gave up trying to explain to the Admiral and instead turned to explain to Blackstone what he said wrong. “Stone, he was asking if we’d ever _mated_ with each other.” Blackstone’s markings darkened drastically, and his red eyes widened in realization. “ _Oh...So that’s what you were asking…”_ Admiral Skinner burst into laughter as he continued to take in the scene of the flustered young officers before him. Both only blushed further as they continued to fumble over words until the Admiral talked over them both. “Don’t worry, boys. I understand where you’re at and I’ve gotta say, I’m proud of ya. It takes a lot of guts to commit to something like this so… Keep it up!” Both Henry and Blackstone sighed in relief and the Admiral bid them goodnight before turning and walking down the clear tunnel towards the dorms building.

Once the Admiral left, Henry marched over to the food court in the Main Office Building and grabbed a cup of water. Blackstone shot him a confused look. At the questioning gaze, Henry replied. “What? I really _am_ thirsty!” Blackstone scoffed as Henry chugged the rest of his cup of water, and discarded it, before the two continued down the clear Hallway towards Electrical. Thankfully, they did not run into anyone else while they walked through Electrical and into Security. Before long, the two found themselves face to face with the broom closet door. Henry could feel his heart rate rise. He took a deep breath. He shot a glance at Blackstone, who gave a reassuring nod, then the two entered the broom closet. The light to the small room turned on upon them entering the room and Henry’s heart dropped as he looked around at what he saw. The broom closet was just full of random mops, cleaning supplies, deterrents, vacuums, and multiple stacks of paper towels. Henry began checking the shelves and examining the different things in the room and the more normal stuff he found, the more frustrated he became. “…It’s just cleaning supplies?!” he said frantically. Blackstone stood where he was as he let his senses heighten and take in the tinier details in the room. The smell of various humans having been in this room, the way dust was settling on most of the cleaning supplies in the room, the _lack of dust_ on the mop handle that rested in the old blue bucket, and the unmistakable sound of a hollow ground. _Something was beneath them._

Blackstone’s attention was brought back to the dust free mop handle. As Henry gave a frustrated huff and turned to see what Blackstone was doing, Blackstone approached the mop in the old bucket and sniffed it. Various human scents filled his nose, and among the various human scents he could also smell the fabric of gloves. Specifically, _armored gloves._ Henry continued watching as Blackstone continued closely observing the mop in the bucket before he asked. “…Stone?” Blackstone grabbed the handle of the mop hesitantly. It was quite possible that this mop was just used frequently by the people on the base. But just in case… Blackstone pulled the mop handle towards hm and heard a mechanism click. Henry and Blackstone looked around the room. Suddenly, a metal door shut between them and the broom closet’s actual door. The light above them flickered as the room jolted, then began to lower.

Henry and Blackstone’s eyes met. As proud as Henry was that he was right, he also didn’t want to be… The two of them could feel their heartrates increase as they lowered further underground. For what felt like a minute, the lift lowered until it jolted once more, signaling the end of their descent. The metal door opened to reveal a long hallway that most likely led to another underground compound. The two snuck forward cautiously and sped up once Blackstone confirmed there were no security cameras in the hallway. At the end of the hallway, there was a large room that had a map of the layout of the underground laboratories. Henry and Blackstone observed the map. From what they could see, the entire facility was about the same size as the underground laboratory that they had seen with the Admiral except it branched off into three main wings. One wing was labeled genetics, the other was labeled nanites, the third was labeled testing. Blackstone’s voice broke the small silence between them with a barely audible whisper. “Henry, can you really remember this entire layout?” Henry shot Blackstone a smirk. “No need.” Henry pulled out his personal phone and snapped a picture of it.

As they observed the base in closer detail, Henry came up with a plan. “Alright, there’s obviously too much ground to cover. Our best option is to split up. Besides, since you can turn invisible, I doubt stealth will be a problem for you.” Blackstone felt hesitant but nodded before the two of them synchronized their communicators and left down two different passageways. Henry, down the genetics hallway, and Blackstone down the nanites hallway. Henry moved along silently and waited for the security cameras to sweep across before he crossed to different sections and continued inching his way down to stay out of sight. Once he reached the end of the hallway, he noticed hallways that led to large rooms with no doors, thankfully. Henry walked into the largest room he could find, and when he did, his jaws dropped. The walls of the large room he entered were line with large glass tubes full of blue liquid, the room was bathed in an eerily dim blue glow, and the tubes were all full of creatures that resembled imposters. However, these were larger, they only had two large tendrils instead of four, and their abnormally large bodies had frills that continued all the way down their spine to a large spiked tail. Their mouths were full of teeth that looked far larger and sharper than the teeth they had seen on the Lesser and Henry was too awestricken to speak for a few moments as he took everything in. _What were these things?_ Henry heard a faint beep, and his attention was drawn to a kiosk that had words appearing on the screen.

_Super Imposter [ID # 2243587]: Initializing…_

_Super imposter?_ Henry thought. Just as the words appeared on screen, the floor in front of the kiosk opened and another glass cylinder rose from the ground. Henry looked back and forth between the screen and the glass cylinder. Mechanical arms from both ends of the liquid filled cylinder met in the middle and did something too small for Henry to see. The words on the screen changed.

_Imposter egg [Fertilized]: Lesser DNA Augment 3-A inserted…_

Henry continued watching as the arms retracted back to the opposite ends of the cylinder, and the glass tube moved on a conveyor belt to the back of the room before rising on a platform, and sliding into place near the back of the room. Henry blinked and snapped himself out of his daze. He needed to photograph this. Henry began snapping photos of the various suspended hybrids in their glass cylinders, then took a picture of the information that was loading on the kiosk. Henry looked around the room and ducked behind a random crate to hide himself from the doorway view should someone walk by. Henry activated his communicator. “Stone, you’re not gonna believe what I found… meet up back at our room. We’ve got a lot of talking to do.” Henry turned off his communicator again, then snuck back out of the room. As Henry turned to go down the hallway that led to the lift, he bumped into someone.

Henry’s eyes snapped up to see Admiral Skinner in front of him, and the fear that had shot through Henry’s veins was replaced with relief. “Oh, Admiral! Thank God you found this place too! I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain this to you.” Admiral Skinner spoke with a surprised tone. “Captain Henry? What in blazes are you doing down here?” Henry didn’t even answer the question and began going through the things that he found and how he thought to look in the closet. He was so focused on telling the Admiral what he’d found, that he failed to notice the armed guards closing in behind him. Once he finished spilling everything to Admiral Skinner, he noticed the sad expression in Admiral Skinner’s eyes. Henry was silent for a few moments. “…Admiral?” Admiral Skinner sighed and shook his head.

“I _really_ wish you hadn’t figured that much out, son.”

Henry’s eyes widened when, in a fraction of a second, Admiral Skinner raised his phaser and fired. Henry dodged with barely enough time, and the phaser bolt grazed Henry’s arm as he landed a punch on the Admiral’s jaw. The Admiral staggered to the side and Henry began sprinting for the exit of the underground compound. Two guards rushed to the Admiral’s side. “Are you alright, sir?” The admiral growled as he glared after Henry and barked an order. “I’m fine! GET HIM!” Henry ducked and zig zagged as various phaser bolts whizzed past him, and he pressed himself against the wall of the lift as he spammed the button to go up. Guards began charging towards the lift, and right before the soldiers made it, the doors closed, and the only lift out of the facility began rising Henry out. Henry panted as his heart hammered in his chest. _The Head Admiral knew…_ Henry knew he’d need the help of his crew for this. He knew he’d need their help to protect Blackstone. _Oh God… BLACKSTONE!_ Henry frantically activated his communicator and was nearly yelling as he spoke. “Blackstone, come in!” No answer….

“Blackstone! _Answer me!”_

…No answer…

Admiral Skinner panted slightly, and he rubbed the welt that was appearing on the side of his face. _Damn, that kid packs quite a punch…_ The guards that chased Henry down reported that he escaped on the lift, and he huffed a frustrated sigh. He turned on his communicator and spoke in an impatient tone. “Is the asset secure?” A feminine voice responded through the communicator. “Yes, sir. The asset is contained.” Admiral Skinner sighed a breath of relief before he gave an order. “Well, we’ve got a runner. Get me MIRA Command and tell them to send a warrant out for a treasonous deserter. Armed and Highly dangerous.” A beat of silence came from the other end until the female voice spoke again. “Their name, sir?” Admiral Skinner was silent for a moment before responding.

“Captain Henry White.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **communicator static**


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all my American readers, Happy Thanksgiving, my lovelies!
> 
> And if you're not American, I love you all the same!
> 
> (It occured to me that people from around the world can access my story and that I am not sure where anyone is from so I figured I'd specify it to Americans specifically since Thanksgiving is only an American Holiday)

_Save Blackstone_

That was all that Henry could consciously think about as the static of the unanswered communicator filled the silence of the otherwise empty lift. Henry’s mind was traveling at a million miles a minute, thinking of possible outcomes, threats, evidence, alibis, and where was safe… _who_ was safe...

 _I can trust my crew…_ Henry thought as his frantic breathing continued to slow gradually. _I can always trust my crew…_

The doors to the lift opened and as soon as they did, Henry sprinted through the still empty overground base. He raced to his dorm, passing early rising scientists and workers as he went, and upon entering his dorm, attached a pistol phaser to his left hip. He caught a glimpse of the empty bed on the other side of the room. The haunting static of the communicator filled his head again as his brain threatened to go into full panic mode again. He silenced his frantic thoughts and continued repeating the same line over and over again. His one goal.

_Save Blackstone…_

Henry sprinted out of his dorm room to the café where he assumed his crew would be to eat breakfast. He burst into the cafeteria to see the crew huddled around a holographic television tuned into an emergency broadcast channel.

“ _Suspect is considered armed and extremely dangerous-“_

Henry rushed up to the crowd of trusted faces and announced his presence. “Guys! We gotta move now! Blackstone’s been kidnapped and…” Henry stopped as he took in the shocked and disgusted looks that regarded him. Confusion gripped his chest as his eyes went from one face to another until they finally fell on Jessica’s. Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes bore into Henry’s with hate. Upon seeing the captain speechless, she stood and went to rush Henry. Goldie grabbed her by the arm and held her back and Henry could only shrink back slightly as Jessica screamed “ _How could you_?!” Henry held up his hands defensively as he responded. “Jessica! Calm down! I didn’t do anything!” The crew members all regarded Henry in silence and the voice from the emergency broadcast caught Henry’s attention.

“ _We repeat, Captain Henry White is wanted for treason and the murder of the first imposter officer in MIRA history, Nigel Blackstone. Security footage was captured of the Captain’s Actions this morning while he was station on Polus…”_

Henry’s heart dropped as the crew to view the security camera footage again. Sure enough, there was Blackstone observing a large canister full of a metallic colored liquid when ‘Henry’ walked up behind him. Blackstone glanced down at his wrist before turning around as the Henry on screen lifted their phaser with their right hand. Blackstone raised his arms defensively before the Henry on screen pulled the trigger, and Blackstone was knocked back by the force of the blast that struck him. Henry remained speechless as the crew returned their gazes to their captain as the emergency broadcast continued.

_“If you have any information on where the suspect is, it is your duty as a MIRA officer to act on it.”_

At those words, Evergreen and Azul both raised their pistols and aimed them at Henry. Henry instinctively flicked his pistol onto stun, and aimed at the closest of the two of them with his _left_ hand as he spoke in his most commanding voice possible. “Azul, Evergreen, _stand down._ I didn’t kill Blackstone.” Evergreen shook his head and adjusted his aim before saying. “I’m sorry about this, sir.” Within a fraction of a second, Henry adjusted his aim and stunned Evergreen just as the green suited crewmate pulled the trigger. The stun Evergreen fired whizzed right past Henry’s left side, and Henry ducked as Azul opened fire as well. The other crewmates all rose from where they were at the table. Some rushed to get security, others, to report Henry’s location, and the rest began trying to stun henry as well. Henry dove over a cafeteria table and flipped it over to give himself cover from the barrage of stuns from his beloved crewmates. He hunched low to the ground as he ran out of the cafeteria and began sprinting for his dorm room once he left the Café. As Henry disappeared out of sight, Mr. Citrus noticed his medical bag open and peered inside. _Damn…_ His cauterizing knife and supplement shots were gone.

Various shouting could be heard behind him followed by phaser bolts, not stuns, that Henry could only assume was from the armed guards that had chased him before. Upon reaching his dorm room, Henry locked the door behind him, then barricaded the door by shoving a bed in front of the door. He then pulled his white space suit out of the clothes cabinet that was near the door and grunted with effort as he pushed the large piece of furniture. It fell on top of the bed, and broke one of the bedframe’s rickety legs. The guards on the other side of the door began ramming into it to try and open it, and the broken bed leg got jammed underneath the doorframe, making it even harder to bust open. Henry got to work quickly, and suited up. One finished, Henry grabbed his pistol, flicked it to phaser, and shot the glass window in the room. Henry clambered out of the window and dropped to the snow covered ground on the outskirts of the base and began sprinting away from the Red Cliff.

Henry heard the roars of several engines over the howling wind of the frigid air, and risked a glance over his shoulder to notice snowmobiles far behind but quickly gaining up on him. Henry sprinted as fast as possible towards the outskirts of the overground base, and upon reaching, noticed the ground steeply sloped downwards. Henry ran, jumped, and began sliding down the steep incline and kept his body as streamline as possible to try and increase the distance between him and the snowmobiles. By the time the ground leveled off, the Snowmobiles crested the top of the hill. Their engines roared as they got airtime before landing and immediately cascading down the slope after Henry. Henry continued sprinting away and was about to pull out his phaser to stand his ground when he skid to a sudden stop. The ground in front of him gave way to a massive cliff face, and, after quickly peeking over the edge, the ground was covered in a thick layer of fog. There was no way to tell what was down there.

Henry’s attention was brought back to the roaring engines of the snow mobiles. They were closing in on him. He looked back over the edge. The light from the snowmobiles began to intensify as they approached. He was running out of time. Henry took a deep breath as he steeled himself mentally and holstered his pistol. As the snowmobiles hit the brakes and skid to a stop, Henry sprinted at full speed, leapt off the cliff, and disappeared into the fog below. The guards on the snowmobiles got off and looked over the edge of the cliff. There was no sign of Henry anywhere through the fog and with the approaching blizzard, there was no way Henry would survive the night. One of the guards activated their communicator and reported the results of their chase to Admiral Skinner before the two remounted their snowmobiles and sped away from the cliff face. The howling wind filling the silence, and erasing all signs of anything ever happening from the snow covered ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for getting help from his crew...


	13. Chapter 13

Blackstone jolted awake to find himself in a cold metallic holding cell. He panted frantically, on the verge of hyperventilation, as he took in his surroundings and his thoughts went back to the Mercenary ship. His mind recalled the events that had gotten him here. Him finding out what nanites were, Henry meeting up with him only for Henry’s voice to come crackling through the communicator. The false Henry stunning him, the yellow eyes staring him down as he lost consciousness… The whole trip to Polus had been a setup from the very beginning… And they all fell for it. Blackstone’s chest strained from the amount of worry inside, and from the restraint preventing him from opening the mouth on his abdomen, hoping only desperately that Henry made it out safely and wasn’t killed for what he had found… While he was at the mercy of the scientists underground…

A loud screech made Blackstone look up from where he was, and he saw four armed guards approach the cell across the hallway from his cell. In between them was a large imposter with bright orange eyes, and fire colored markings across it’s chest and tendrils, writhing in agony. It let out another agonizing screech as the guards threw it into the cell and shut the reinforced safety glass, so the orange eyed imposter stayed in it’s cell. Not that the safety glass was needed. The imposter was too busy writhing in agony to attack them anyway. From where Blackstone was, he could still hear the strangled cries from the imposter across from him and the anguished noise sent chills of fear up Blackstone’s spine. _What did they do to it?_ Blackstone wondered. From what he could see, nothing was physically wrong with it, and yet here it was, screaming like it was dying.

A buzzing noise jarred Blackstone from his thoughts and he noticed four guards at the entrance to his cell. Four guards stood at the open cell. Two were armed with staffs that resembled cattle rods, and the two in the middle each held a pair of electromagnetic handcuffs. One guard gestured with his chin as he spoke. “Stand up and turn around. Keep your tendrils behind your back and walk backwards towards us slowly. The cattle rod looking sticks activated and made an angry electric crackling noise. The scars on Blackstone’s back tingled as he was reminded of the torture he went through on the Mercenary ship. So, he obliged. Blackstone followed the directions he was told, and once he did so, he was led down a long hallway lined with cell after cell after cell. Each of them had imprisoned imposters in them. Blackstone noticed some injured, others perfectly healthy, some screaming in agony like the orange eyed imposter was, and some lying completely still on the ground of their cell.

Blackstone was shoved into a large empty room. The room had a glass wall on one side, and another door on the wall adjacent to it. On the other side of the glass wall stood a young woman wearing a lab coat, holding a tablet and stylus. Standing next to her, was a man Blackstone recognized immediately. Blackstone snarled as Admiral skinner smiled at the imposter in chains. He pressed a button on a small kiosk next to him and his voice echoed through the large room. “Ah. There he is… my favorite _asset.”_ Blackstone growled as he continued to stare at the Admiral through the safety glass while he continued talking. “How are you feeling, Stone? I trust the pain medicine took are of the stun aftereffects?” Blackstone straightened and squared his shoulders up with the Admiral’s. “My _name_ is _Blackstone_ … _sir.”_ Admiral huffed in surprise at the overall intimidation the seemingly docile imposter was capable of. He splayed his hands as he replied. “It seems I stand corrected.”

The restraints on Blackstone’s arms clicked open, and the guards retreated out of the large room slowly to ensure Blackstone didn’t try to escape. Admiral leaned over to the woman with the tablet and asked. “Is the Prototype ready?” The woman nodded. “Yes, sir. We’re sending them in now.” The doors opposite to the one Blackstone entered opened and the intelligent lesser with its signature glowing yellow eyes stepped obediently into the room without any entourage of guards nearby. Blackstone tensed up at the sight of the familiar enemy, but when he met the creature’s eyes. He could sense… unease. Blackstone’s posture relaxed ever so slightly as the creature made no move to attack. _Why was this creature so nervous?_ Before Blackstone could continue pondering over what was wrong with it, Admiral Skinner’s voice crackled over the room’s speakers again. “Alright Blackstone, this should be pretty self-explanatory for you.” Blackstone waited for any other helpful information from the Admiral, but instead, Admiral Skinner said “Prototype, attack!”

The creature in front of Blackstone flinched and shut it’s four eyes, as if the words the Admiral said shocked it’s system somehow. It’s eyes met Blackstone’s again, and the unease that was once there had been completely replaced by an eerily strong glare. It was intimidating. Without warning, the Prototype lunged forward and struck at Blackstone’s head with a coiled tendril. Blackstone dodged and backed away to make more space between them. The Prototype lunged again, and Blackstone ducked this time. The two circled each other as they sized each other up. Blackstone was too shaken up to bring himself to attack so the Prototype lunged again. This time, it stopped it’s momentum halfway through the attack so that when Blackstone reacted, it could land a blow. Blackstone’s body was launched by a powerful kick from the Prototype that sent him several feet backwards. His body was engulfed in a wave of pain and he couldn’t help but remember what had happened when he first encountered this creature. He barely stood a chance last time…

Blackstone rolled out of the way as the Prototype, trying to take advantage of Blackstone’s weakened state, dove to strike at his head. Blackstone swept his legs around and knocked the Prototype off balance before hand springing to his feet. Blackstone leg swung in a large arc as he attempted to axe kick the downed Prototype, but the Prototype blocked the blow with it’s tendrils. Before Blackstone could react, the Prototype grasped Blackstone by the leg and pulled him back onto the ground before attempting to try and attack Blackstone again. Blackstone used the momentum of the Prototype to pull the creature forward and used his legs to kick the Prototype off of him. The Prototype screeched as it hit the ground and Blackstone got back on his feet. The Admiral caught Blackstone’s eye, and Blackstone felt anger boiling inside him. Here he was being thrown into an imposter gladiator ring, and the Admiral had the audacity to not just watch, but _smile_. Blackstone’s red eyes met the dazed Prototype’s again, and with no regard to his own safety, Blackstone charged forward to attack before the Prototype was fully on its feet.

The two collided into each other and began tearing at each other with sharp, coiled tendrils, and clawed feet. Snarling and screeching filled the room and Admiral Skinner couldn’t help but chuckle in surprise at the unbridled violence these creatures held. He turned towards the scientist next to him who was furiously scribbling notes into her tablet. “So, what do you think of the asset?” He asked. The scientist looked up from her notes and met Admiral Skinner’s eyes. “Well, this… _Blackstone_ shows a lot of promise, but since we can’t trace his lineage it’ll be hard to get a good sense of what he’s capable of…”

**_Thoom_ **

The two turned in surprise to see the Prototype’s limp body slide slowly down the glass leaving streaks of smudged black blood in its wake. The Admiral and the scientist both went slack jawed at the bloodied heap the Prototype was. _Did Blackstone just throw the Prototype?!_ Sure enough, across the room stood Blackstone, chest heaving, gashes bleeding, and his crown frill snapped in half. An animalistic growl escaped Blackstone’s body as he stalked over to where the weakened Prototype was. Both Admiral Skinner and the scientists stared wide eyed as Blackstone grabbed the Prototype by the head and slammed it’s face into the glass directly in front of them. Blackstone’s coiled tendrils pulled back and he slammed the Prototypes face again, and again, and again. It took the Admiral a total of five slams for him to break out of his awed daze, slam the button on the kiosk and yell over the speakers, “Alright! That’s enough!”

Blackstone stopped slamming the Prototype’s face in instantly and dropped its deadweight body on the ground. He slammed his tendrils against the glass, and from where the two stood, the Admiral and the scientists could’ve sworn the whole room shook with the force in which Blackstone did so. Blackstone’s eyes bore into the Admirals as he released a predatory growl, and Admiral Skinner gulped as fear made itself known in his veins. His voice cracked ever so slightly as he commented towards the scientist. “Well, I think you now know what he’s capable of…” The scientist nodded nervously before writing down one last thing in her tablet and leaving the observation room as fast as professionally possible.

Admiral Skinner summoned guards and all eight of them led Blackstone out of the testing room to a smaller room resembling an operating room. Large vials of the strange metallic liquid, which Blackstone discovered were called Nanites, were located all over the room. The bed he was led to had locks on it for each limb, and Blackstone felt his chest close in as his mobility was taken away from him. Once restrained, the guards left, and Admiral Skinner walked in with another scientist Blackstone had never seen before. Blackstone let out a growl as his eyes fell on the Admiral and although faint, Blackstone could tell that the both of them flinched ever so slightly.

“I gotta say, Blackstone,” The Admiral started, “That was an impressive display you put on back there. No imposter’s been able to do what you did to my hybrid. Now sure, he’s a prototype, and the latest we’ve made are stronger, but… it’s still impressive.” As the Admiral spoke, the scientist left out of Blackstone’s field of vision, a faint mechanical hissing could be heard and when the scientist returned, he held a large shot full of the metallic “nanite” liquid. Blackstone’s attention was brought back to Admiral Skinner who began speaking again. “Y'know, it’s a real shame we couldn’t have made you a hybrid. Your genes are strong, and your heart, even more so.”

The scientist approached Blackstone and hefted the syringe up and gently tilted Blackstone’s head to expose his neck. Dread coursed through Blackstone’s veins as the Admiral smiled coolly and said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have other uses for you though.” The scientist injected the nanites into Blackstone. Pain erupted like hot flames and began spreading slowly through each and every nerve ending in his neck. Blackstone writhed in agony as the syringe eventually emptied and was pulled out of his neck. The pain continued to spread throughout Blackstone’s body at a painstakingly slow pace, and the more it spread, the worse it seemed to get. Blackstone’s chest was heaving, and his vision blurred as the Admiral left his field of vision. The pain inched ever further through his body, and eventually reached his head….

…And that was when the _real_ pain began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've never really seen the full extent of Blackstone's full, unbridled rage before... have we?
> 
> Well... not against someone who could withstand it, anyway.
> 
> Quick Sidenote: An imposter's "crown frill" is the very first frill at the front of an imposter's crest. It is the only frill on an imposter's head that doesn't move, and has nothing to do with hearing.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry awakens to find himself injured, and all alone in a deadly blizzard. He needs to survive... for Blackstone's sake.

The torrential winds of the passing blizzard relentlessly tore into the snow drenched landscape. Snow was flung at such high speeds and in such copious amounts there was virtually no visibility, and the frozen fractals launched by the winds tore and chipped away at anything that stood. At the bottom of the cliff face, the wind roared in retaliation to the wall of rock that shielded the small corner of untouched, powdery snow.

Within that untouched corner, Henry sat up gingerly and grimaced as the weight of snow shifted off him. His upper body, now snow free, turned and twisted slowly so he could take in his surroundings. Everything _hurt_ and Henry needed no medical examination to know it was because of the daring plunge he’d taken off the cliff face. Thankfully, the ground below was covered in several feet of powdery soft snow, so his fall was cushioned… somewhat. Henry grimaced again as he turned his head and a sharp pain shot from his neck down through his spine. Every breath he took made him feel like there was acid in his lungs, and His legs felt like they’d been crushed by cinderblocks. He didn’t want to move. He probably _shouldn’t_ move… But the blizzards on Polus were notorious for their long durations and record-breaking weather conditions, and Henry was caught in the middle of one. He needed shelter.

With a mangled cry of pain, unheard by anyone, Henry forced himself to stand. He checked to make sure he still had all the supplies he’d grabbed before making his daring escape. Once confirming everything was there, he began to slowly make his way along the cliff wall, using the jagged rocks as support for his pain ridden body. Upon turning the corner, the blizzard winds slammed into Henry eagerly, and Henry was nearly blown over by the sudden gust of wind. He adjusted his stance, digging his boots into the crunching snow, and leaned forward against the wind. Progress was painstakingly slow as he placed his left foot forward, then his right, then his left… then his right… Henry felt himself slip on something and collapsed in pain as his instinctive adjustments to catch himself sent a wall of pain up his spine. It shot into his head and ricocheted around in there, transforming into a full-blown headache… A sign of dehydration.

Henry remained where he was on the ground amidst the howling blizzard wind and tried scanning his surroundings to the best of his ability. Aside from the cliff next to him, there was nothing but flat land for as far as the eye could see, which also meant no chance of finding shelter over there. As Henry gave a frustrated huff, he heard something amidst the howling wind… A… _scratching sound?_

**_Poomf_ **

A small chunk of snow was chucked into Henry’s helmet visor, making him involuntarily flinch. The culprit chucked other bits of snow out of a hole before finally poking its head out. Henry blinked. Right in front of him was a fluffy white creature. Its fur was massive compared to it’s overall body size, and the resulting appearance was a living breathing fluff ball. Henry watched in astonishment as the fluff ball dove back down into the hole it had created in the snow’s surface and disappeared. Henry brought his face closer so that he could see the tunnel in the snow. From what he could tell, the creature lived down there in the snow, and was completely unharmed by the storm overhead. Henry scanned the wall of the cliff face and noticed a large mound of snow piled against the cliff’s rocky surface. An idea formulated in his head. Maybe he didn’t have to find shelter… but _make_ it.

With newfound vigor, Henry set to work digging snow out of the mound and using the cauterizing knife to gradually melt the outermost layers of snow so that the cold of the blizzard winds would turn it to ice. Once the outside was finished, Henry moved onto the inside and used the cauterizing knife to melt the innermost layer of snow. He repeated this process a few more times so that the makeshift igloo would have some semblance of structural support against the relentless blizzard winds, and finally crawled in. Almost immediately, Henry could feel a difference in temperature, and Henry smiled at his own innovation. He activated the cauterizing knife, then stuck the handle into the ground so that it could act like a little heater. Henry sighed and shifted only for pain to, once again, travel through his body, and reanimate a jarring headache.

Henry pulled off his helmet and used the emergency release buttons on the interior to release the visor from where it was. He placed the remainder of his helmet to one side and sat holding the large concave visor in his hands. Reaching outside, Henry scooped up some of the snow just outside of his shoddily made igloo and used the cauterizing knife to melt it down. After about a few minutes, Henry had before him a makeshift bowl of water. Greedily, Henry gulped the frigid water down, not caring if the resulting brain freeze was nearly as bad as the headache, he was trying to rid himself of. Henry repeated the process again three more times before drying out the interior of his visor to the best of his ability, reattaching the visor to his helmet, and placing the helmet back on his head. Exhaustion was taking hold of Henry’s aching limbs one by one, and despite the cloying fear that plagued him, he couldn’t help but fall asleep while the blizzard kept hammering on his shoddily made igloo. The seemingly only thing left that wasn’t out to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies!!!
> 
> So, it occurred to me that I, in all my business, skipped on the first bonus chapter for this series and I owe you all one.
> 
> I was thinking you would all enjoy a small sort of "Ask the Crew" type thing in which you ask a question to one of the crewmates of the New Skeld, and they answer your questions! If you want to ask the crew anything, specify who the question is for in a comment on this chapter, and then I will be sure to have them answer you in the next chapter!


	15. BONUS CHAPTER: Ask the Crew!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, since I missed the bonus chapter last time this story updated, I figured I would get it out of the way now since I have SOME time free to myself for once... Anyways, enjoy the chapter, my lovelies!

Welp, I'm overdue for this bonus chapter so let's just hurry up and jump right into it I guess

Welcome to a little something I like to call **Ask the Crew** In which you ask the crew some questions, and I get them to answer you directly. All you need to do to ask is specify who the question is for when you leave a comment, and I will take care of the rest! Feel free to ask some questions in the comments of this chapter, or any other chapter of this work! I'll be sure to update this chapter as your questions come in.

Alright... Now for the questions!

**[3ShadowPrincess asked Jessica:]**

Ooh! Question for Jessica: How did you feel when you first found out you’d been assigned an imposter as a roommate?

**Jessica:** _Well, to be honest, I didn’t know right away that my roommate was an imposter since his name, Nigel Blackstone, looked like any other human name on the roster. I was a bit surprised that they’d assign me with someone who was male, but I didn’t think much of it. Anyway, the news of an imposter being in our graduating class came to us during the starting orientation. And…I’ll never forget this… I distinctly remember walking to my room thinking ‘Man, I feel really badly for whoever has to room with an imposter…’_

_…And then I opened my dorm room and came face to face with one._

**Blackstone: *** leans into view a few feet in the distance*

_At least we got along with each other!_

 **Jessica:** *laughs* _Yeah… I’ll admit, I was a bit terrified at first that I had to room with an alien, but looking back on it, I’m glad that I did get to room with him because he’s probably the most loyal friend I could ever ask for._

**[Fried_Lemons asked Blackstone:]**

*BONK* 

…Go to horny jail

**Blackstone:** *rubs his head gingerly with a tendril* _That…was unnecessary…_ *sad imposter noises*

**[Sweerly asked Henry:]**

“Can you imagine, Stone? Anti-Imposter software… Finally, those godforsaken creatures of bloodlust will be unable to pick us off like cattle…Come on, Stone. You and I both know these things are bloodthirsty creatures of no remorse. You’ve heard the stories. Seen the footage.” -To Be an Imposter, Chapter 2

…Remember that, bud?

**Blackstone:** *Staring deadpanned at Henry*

 **Henry:** *Hides face in shame as he sighs* _Yeah… I know… I was wrong… I’m sorry…_

 **Blackstone:** *trills happily as he nuzzles Henry’s bowed head.*

 **Blackstone:** _The reason why I haven’t said ‘I told you so’ yet is because a lot of what Henry said is, unfortunately, true. Imposter culture is **brutal,** and they have no remorse whatsoever. Now sure, it boils down to the simplicity of how our culture is structured, but majority of our ferociousness comes from instinct as well. I am a rare case among imposters since I can quell my instinctual urges. Well… most of the time…_

 **Henry:** *confused glance* _Wait… ‘most of the time?’_

 **Blackstone:** _It’s not my fault you humans all smell so damn delicious…_

**[Anonymous asked:]**

Could a few crewmates say what happened on the happiest day of their life? I just want a lil bit of fluff. No angst whatsoever.

**Mr. Citrus:** _Well, that’s an easy question. It would be the day I saw my daughter for the first time. And the day I got married would be a **very** close second._

 **Mrs. Citrus:** _I wish I could say the same… As much as I loved becoming a mom, childbirth is **Hell** and… I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it all that much._ *laughs*

 **Mrs. Citrus:** _In all seriousness though, becoming a mom is one of the greatest things to ever happen to me. When I see Clementine… It’s like the world has a whole new meaning and purpose that wasn’t previously established. But it’s the kind that you don’t realize up until that point because, how could it make sense if Clementine wasn’t in the picture?_

 **Mr. Citrus:** _Yeah, but it has it’s downsides sometimes. I’m always so paranoid that something is going to happen to Clementine, I’m losing sleep at night. She’s so fragile and precious…_

 **Mrs. Citrus:** _Kevin, If you are willing to let an imposter hold your daughter and sing her to sleep I don’t see what else you have left to be paranoid of._

 **Mr. Citrus:** *shrugs* _Blackstone’s a giant noodle armed snuggle muffin! He wouldn’t hurt a fly!_

**[forgetful_dorito asked Henry and Blackstone:]**

So like, are you two a THING or like…..????? Bro cuddles????? BRO CUDDLES???? Do they s l e e p together??????? That’d be kinda cute if they do……

**Henry:** *sheepishly* _uh… well…_

 **Mr. Citrus:** *barges in* _You BET they’re a thing! And they’ve even FUCKED EACH OTHER!_ *points accusing finger at them*

 **Blackstone:** *uncomfortable silence*

 **Henry:** *uncomfortably* _um… Kev?_

 **Mr. Citrus:** _I’m SERIOUS! There was this one time where Blackstone was in heat! And they-_

 **Henry:** *clamps hand onto Mr. Citrus’s mouth* _OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH!_

 **Blackstone:** *UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE*

*Mr. Citrus leaves mumbling something in Spanish*

 **Henry:** _Yes, Blackstone and I are an official thing. The only reason why we never do a lot of… intimate stuff is because we’re usually very busy. Plus, Stone gets worried he can’t control himself if we take things a step too far._

 **Blackstone:** _Its not a worry, Henry. We **have** taken things too far and we’ve already confirmed that I can **and will** lose control of myself. It’s unfair to you, and it makes me feel guilty._

 **Henry:** _I don’t see why you feel all that guilty though. Besides… I like a good workout every now and then…_ *smirks*

 **Blackstone:** *shakes head with a chuckle* _You are unbelievable sometimes…_

**[CreepyWaffleCO asked the crew:]**

I do have a question for all the crew except for Henry and Blackstone...

Did ya know it says "gullible" on the ceiling?

**Azul:** *standing up* _What? You tryna say we stupid or something?_

 **Rose:** _Azul, stop it. Be nice!_

 **Evergreen:** _That 'gullible' trick is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Why would you even try to fool us with that?_

 **Lavender:** *is asleep*

 **John Brown: *** silence*

 **Goldie:** _If you two stopped using your egos for two seconds you'd realize they're tryna tell us something! Something we might have overlooked..._

 **Jessica:** *scratches head* _I think you're right... the question is... what?_

 **John Brown: *** more silence*

_{Author's side note:}_

_The crew aren't stupid. They were fed false information from the Head Admiral and poor Henry had incriminating evidence against him even though he didn't do anything because the Prototype had imitated his appearance. As members of MIRA, failure to act on apprehending their Captain would legally be considered a violation of a direct order and, therefore, a treasonous act punishable by a court martial. Unless the crew wanna spend the rest of their lives behind bars, they need to act now and ask questions later so to speak._

**[Anonymous asked Blackstone:]**

For Blackstone, what is the weirdest thing the crew asked you once you revealed yourself as an imposter?

**Blackstone:** _Well I once made the mistake of casually mentioning that imposter blood tastes sweet and that it is considered a rare delicacy in certain parts of the galaxy. Ever since then John's been bugging me and Mr. Citrus to try using my blood in his cooking... I'm almost worried for my safety._ *nervous chuckle*

 **John Brown:** *silently peeks into room holding an IV and an empty blood bag*

 **Henry:** *appears randomly* _Wait... but I thought blood tasted like metal because it had iron in it. Why does your blood taste sweet?_

 **Blackstone:** *goes to answer question but gets interrupted by Mr. Citrus*

 **Mr. Citrus:** _If I may... I **am** the chief medical officer after all... _*clears throat* _Imposter blood is sweet because imposter digestive systems lack the enzymes needed to turn sugar into glucose for transportation through the blood stream. Instead, the sugar is sent directly to the muscles that need energy which produce the sugar processing enzyme during fermentation and the result is a sudden surplus of energy from the copious amounts of glucose in the muscle area. Now, this intrigues me because if we compare our own metabolic process to the imposters we can see that our muscles instead use lactic acid during the fermentation process which, as we all know is used for_ *continues rambling on about metabolism and digestive systems*

 **Henry:** _...We should go... He's probably gonna talk for a while..._

 **Blackstone:** _Agreed..._

**[Anonymous asked the crew:]**

Was there ever a moment where you suspected Blackstone might've been an imposter?

**Azul:** _Oh yeah. Once._

 **Evergreen:** _Yeah... I remember that day._

 **Azul:** _So the story goes like this. John had recently got a shipment of food from MIRA HQ, and before he placed his next order he had said that we could request specific food items for him to ask for as well since a lot of the crew like junk food just as much as his five star gourmet cooking type shit. Anywho, Evergreen and I asked for some Pringles chips cuz they were our favorite thing to snack on while we were at the Academy._

 **Evergreen:** _Yeah. So one day Azul was snacking on a can and he couldn't reach the last chip in the can. He tried for several minutes and then challenged me to try and reach the last chip in the can. I, of course, said no because I knew there was no point in trying. I told him it was humanly impossible for someone to reach the last chip in a Pringles can and he didn't believe me._

 **Azul:** _I wasn't planning on taking no for an answer so I looked around the cafeteria, and Blackstone was walking past. So, I called him over and told him to grab the last chip out of the can. I didn't really expect him to do it because of how big his hands looked, but figured it wouldn't hurt to try. Anyway, he looks at the can all confused and shit, then reaches in and pulls it out like it was nothing! I mean he legit looked like he was reaching his hand into... I dunno... a cookie jar or something but like, he made it seem so easy! Evergreen was legit speechless for about five seconds! You should've seen his face, man._

 **Evergreen:** _Yeah, but then you cracked a joke saying 'Yo, if it's not humanly possible for someone to do that then does that make Blackstone an imposter?' I told him to fuck off, obviously, and Blackstone even laughed at the joke before leaving. But lemme tell you... you should've seen Azul's face when Blackstone revealed himself as an imposter the next day bro. I deadass nearly pissed myself! I was trying to hold back my laughter so hard!_ *starts howling with laughter*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few friends of mine have expressed interest in writing smut of Blackstone and Henry... idk if I should take it that far... Should I? Would you want that sort of stuff?


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crew are shaken by the announcement of Henry's treason. Some of them have questions they want answered.

Silence blanketed the crew as they lingered amidst the trashed cafeteria. Azul and Evergreen flipped the upturned table back onto its legs so that Rose and Lavender could have a place to sit. Mr. Citrus was searching the cafeteria for his missing medical supplies, and Goldie was comforting Jessica who sat sobbing on the bench of the café table. “He was my best friend…” She said weakly through shaky breaths. “They did _everything_ together… Why… _Why would Henry kill him...?”_ Goldie kept his mouth shut as he silently patted Jessica’s shoulder reassuringly. He couldn’t think of what to say… There was nothing _to_ say. Their beloved captain, of all people, had committed treason against MIRA. No one could bring themselves to say anything. The absence of the two senior officers made it seem like a part of themselves was missing… and everyone was struck silent by the loss they couldn’t properly grasp. The only sounds heard in the room was the static from the broken holographic TV, and the sound of Jessica’s stifled sobs.

Evergreen, who was pacing the room, was the first to break the stunned stupor of the crewmates as he shook his head. “I don’t believe this… Why would the Captain _kill_ Blackstone?” Azul, who had been sitting in a chair staring blankly at nothing in particular, spoke up without averting his gaze. “His dad was killed by an imposter. It’d make sense if he wanted revenge… I would.” Lavender shot Azul a look from where she sat next to Rose as she gave a disgusted scoff. “Azul, how could you say that?! You’ve seen how they treated each other. They obviously care for each other!” Azul, out of nowhere, turned and stood towering over Lavender as he yelled. “Well, that’s certainly not the case now! Isn’t it?! If they _really_ cared for each other, then Blackstone wouldn’t be DEAD BY NOW!” Lavender flinched and genuine fear shown in her eyes for a moment as everyone froze from the sudden rise in tension.

Mr. Citrus spoke up in a terse tone with his hands raised. “Woah! Calm down. All of you! I understand you are upset, Azul but look around! Henry was our Captain too! None of what happens gives you the excuse to treat anyone like that!” The crew all internalized what Mr. Citrus said. Azul sighed and averted his gaze before sitting back down and placing his head in his hands. Evergreen put a reassuring hand on Azul’s shoulder. Silence pressed heavily on every crew member’s chest before Mr. Citrus spoke up again. “Now I understand what happened was unprecedented and that everyone feels betrayed because of it. But its exactly because of that betrayal that we cannot afford to turn on each other. Got it?” The crew all nodded their heads silently before averting their gazes again. No one could dare look each other in the eye. As if by doing so, some other ugly secret would reveal itself and disturb the silence.

Mr. Citrus sighed as he dropped his hands. He rubbed his brow with his hand as he turned away, and silence constricted around the crew once more. One by one, the crew mates eventually left the cafeteria and returned to their dorms. The only ones remaining were Mr. Citrus, Goldie, Jessica, and John Brown. Goldie spoke up from where he held a now silent Jessica in an embrace. “Mr. Citrus, you knew Henry longer than any of us. Would he have done something like this?” Mr. Citrus was silent for a moment before turning to face Goldie. His brow was still furrowed, face deep in thought as he spoke in an almost distracted tone. “No, he wouldn’t… But that security footage says otherwise.” Goldie tilted his head in confusion. “So… what you’re saying is… the Captain did anyway?” Mr. Citrus shook his head and began pacing as he thought out loud. “No… Henry wouldn’t have done that regardless of his motive. It’s not in his nature, and that isn’t his style. Which means that Henry opened up a _big_ can of worms… Got in over his head… But how?”

John Brown pulled up a recording of the emergency broadcast. At the sound of the audio playing, Mr. Citrus rushed over to the table where the silent chef sat. “Excellent idea, John. We can look for clues in the security cam footage.” John gave a silent nod, and the four of them fell silent as they watched the security footage again. Blackstone stands in the room, Henry approaches, Blackstone’s communicator goes off before he turns around, and then Henry fires his weapon, the force of which knocks Blackstone’s body out of camera shot. Mr. Citrus gave a frustrated huff as he spotted nothing out of the ordinary. Taking over the controls, he rewound the tape again, and began taking in every tiny little detail. For the second time, Blackstone was seen getting blasted backwards and still nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Mr. Citrus replayed the footage a third time. Metallic canisters, Henry approaches, communicator goes off, Henry aims –

**_Click_ **

The video is paused by John Brown who leans forward to observe the frozen screen closely. The other three crewmates give the eldest crewmate a questioning glance. Jessica spoke up and asked what they all were thinking. “Why did you pause it?” John Brown observes the frozen screen before them one last time, before saying in a gravely, unused voice, “Wrong hand.” Mr. Citrus, Goldie, and Jessica all blink in confusion. Their concern with the situation fully overpowering their surprise at hearing the chef speak for once. Goldie, a bit hesitant, asked. “Uh... what do you mean by ‘wrong hand?’” John points to the Henry on screen who was frozen in position aiming at Blackstone with the phaser in his right hand. John makes sure they all notice what he’s referencing before he asks. “The Captain is left-handed, isn’t he?”

At that question, Mr. Citrus’s eyes widen. “Yes, Henry _is_ left-handed!” At that remark Jessica thought back to when Evergreen and Azul had fired at Henry. Sure enough, she distinctly remembers him firing with his left hand. But she still wasn’t convinced. “Guys this is _the Henry White_ we’re talking about. He’s a renown war hero. Don’t you think he’d still be able to shoot with his off hand?” Mr. Citrus gave a frustrated huff as he shook his head. “Damn… I didn’t think about that…” The medical officer paced for a few moments, trying to think if there was any other form of body language that could guarantee it was Henry. It had to be something instinctive. Something that couldn’t be trained into someone. Something like… _Wait a minute…_

Mr. Citrus rushed over to one of the computers lining the east wall of the Café and accessed the camera files for the cafeteria. He pulled up the scene where Henry had just told the crew to stand down, and played it in slow motion. Evergreen shifts, Henry notices and adjusts his aim. His head leans closer to his left shoulder slightly as he pulls the trigger to stun one of his crewmates. His right eye squints ever so slightly while his left eye is wide open. The doctor then turned and replayed the security camera footage again in slow motion. In the camera footage, the Henry on screen doesn’t tilt his head at all when firing at Blackstone. _Gotcha…_

“Eye dominance!” Mr. Citrus exclaims suddenly, making Goldie flinch ever so slightly at the drastic change in volume. Mr. Citrus didn’t notice. “We can’t train someone’s eye dominance!” Jessica remains silent as confusion takes her brain. Mr. Citrus begins to explain. He shoves Jessica in front of the café monitor. “Watch closely at how he aims his gun here.” The camera shows how Henry tilted his head, and how his left eye was more open than his right. Then, Mr. Citrus shoved Jessica in front of the emergency broadcast footage. Henry’s head was still unmoving. Jessica shrugged. “I don’t get it.” Mr. Citrus gives a frustrated huff before elaborating. “Jessica, Henry is left eye dominant! He can’t aim to shoot with his right eye, or he’ll be thrown off and miss. He never leaned his head to compensate for using his right hand in the emergency broadcast footage which means…”

Jessica’s eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. “Which means that the footage is fake! That _isn’t_ Henry!” Mr. Citrus nods slowly as the puzzle pieces continue falling into place. Goldie spoke up. “But… what would have the capability of imitating Henry so well?” Jessica thought about that for a second… They could’ve sent in a special ops look alike to do the confrontation… But Blackstone didn’t notice the false Henry’s approach. Which meant that whoever this false Henry was, it was pretty damn accurate. _Imposters can shapeshift…_ Jessica smacked her forehead as she exclaimed “Of course! _Shapeshifting!_ ” Goldie and John Brown gave Jessica confused glances as Mr. Citrus turned to face her. “Wait… you might be onto something.” The other crewmates all turned to Mr. Citrus for an explanation. The chief medical officer took a deep breath before beginning to explain.

“So, you remember those strange missions Blackstone would bring Henry on, right?” The three of them nodded. Mr. Citrus continued. “Well, on one of them, the two of them were attacked by this… creature of sorts. I remember Henry calling it an imposter, then Blackstone correcting him saying that there was no possible way for it to be an imposter because of its strength or something. Later that evening, Henry asked me if creatures could breed with their subspecies and began doing research on it.” Goldie shook his head. “What does that have to do with the fake Henry?” Mr. Citrus pointed to the fake Henry. “What if _that_ is the creature they encountered? Think about it. Imposters are rare. They can shapeshift, and this creature, although not an imposter, according to Blackstone, can still most likely change it’s appearance since it’s of a similar species!” The three other crewmates were silent as they pondered over what Mr. Citrus said.

“That’s a lot of assumption and speculation, doc.” Jessica stated. “But,” Goldie interjected, “If what he said is true, then… that creature… is somehow a part of MIRA… But that would also mean…” Goldie’s voice trailed off, as if finishing his sentence alone were enough to get him court martialed. John Brown stood from the table, and faced the other three crewmates as he spoke. “It means MIRA is hiding something... And that our Captain needs help... _our_ help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO
> 
> It just occurred to me that I've never specified the ages of my characters. So, Imma list some ages out for you!
> 
> Henry White - 34  
> Nigel Blackstone - ??? (alien ages are weird, ok?)  
> Jessica Rubens - 21  
> Mr. Citrus - 44  
> Sonny "Goldie" Goldleaf - 19 (he special prodigy)  
> Mrs. Citrus - 42  
> Forrest Evergreen - 35  
> Anna-Marie "Aquamarine" Matthews - 32  
> Fernando Azul - 35  
> Lavender Braxton - 25  
> Rose Merriwether - 45  
> John Brown - 55
> 
> Sorry for such SHITTY storytelling. I deadass forgot that age is KINDA important when setting up certain things in the story lmao.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The nanite watch window is almost over... (Keep in mind, this whole nanite process takes days)

Pain

That was all he knew… all he _felt…_ And it never stopped. Never.

How long had it been like this? He couldn’t remember… Why… Why couldn’t he remember? He tried desperately to figure out what happened… What took place… How he got here… But the pain was too much. The pain was so immense he couldn’t string two thoughts together. He could vaguely remember… colors… several vibrant colors that… made him feel safe… And… a pair of mismatched blue eyes that made him feel… Happy… But why? He could remember a ghostly feeling of… betrayal? Was that the word? Was he betrayed somehow? He was in too much pain to figure it out.

Every time he tried to remember something the pain got worse. At first, he would scream. He would squirm and writhe in agony as the pain relentlessly coursed through his veins and left no spot on his body untouched. Wave after wave of agony left his brain fuzzy, his body exhausted, yet he was still in too much pain to feel tired, to fall asleep, to be temporarily relieved of the pain that plagued him constantly for… How long was he here for? He couldn’t remember. Why couldn’t he remember? Another wall of pain surged through him as he unsuccessfully tried to search his brain for answers… again? Did he just repeat his thought process?... He couldn’t remember. He could never remember. And he hated it… Wanted it all to end… By any means necessary…

_Please make it stop…_

The doors to Blackstone’s cell hissed open, and the familiar tapping of Admiral Skinner’s well-polished shoes filled the now silent cell as he entered it. He peered down to the ground to see the imposter before him twitching helplessly as the agonizing nanites ran their course on his body. Minute gasps and huffs from Blackstone’s irregular breathing pattern were the only noises that battled the silence anymore. Thankfully, for Admiral Skinner, Blackstone’s screams had stopped hours ago, and the process could finish in silence.

He had to admit, the asset before him was ever more so surprising. Unlike the Prototype, who had been grown in the lab entirely, Blackstone’s nanites were far more advanced, and far more painful, so they could pull off what was, quite possibly, the most important part of the nanite integration process. Memory Suppression. Because Blackstone knew the Admiral was behind everything that was happening, Admiral Skinner needed to forcefully remove the antagonistic image of himself from Blackstone’s mind in order for the deceptively strong imposter to comply… Not that Blackstone resisting would’ve made a difference anyway… These nanites were too effective. Plenty of tests had proven that already.

Admiral Skinner glanced at his watch while Blackstone still twitched in an endless cycle of agony on the ground. The watch window would be over in… 3, 2, 1… _Showtime…_

A heaving gasp for air emanated from Blackstone as the pain suddenly stopped and relief washed over him. He took a moment to himself as he inhaled deeply, savoring the feeling of the refreshing cool air that traveled down his throat. He could feel his mind clear, and his thoughts return to him. Why was he here again? No… that was unimportant. The more important thing in question was _who saved him?_

“Blackstone?”

The confused imposter looked up from where he was on his knees and met the face of an older man dressed in a neatly made military uniform. His face had an expression of parental concern mixed with worry. The face looked familiar… Was this the man that saved him? Who is he? The military man in question held out his hand for the imposter to take as he asked. “Are you alright, son?” Blackstone hesitated before grabbing the military man’s hand and using it to pull himself up to his feet. His legs were unbelievably wobbly and threatened to give way. So much so that the man who helped him up had to give him an arm to grasp onto and brace himself against. Blackstone’s shaky breaths still racked through his body. The pain was finally over… And this man had saved him… But why did he feel so familiar?

“Who are you?” The imposter asked in a voice left damaged and raspy after countless hours of nonstop screaming. It hurt to speak… And Blackstone regretted it almost immediately. The military man helping support him began leading him out of the cell gently. “Oh, don’t you worry about that right now, Stone. First thing we need to do is get you patched up. I don’t understand how anyone could have let this happen to you.” Blackstone’s brow furrowed in confusion. What had happened? He couldn’t remember. But if this man was more concerned about helping him than telling him who he was, then whatever happened must’ve been very bad. And Blackstone was thankful for this man having stepped in when he did. The pain was unbearable.

The strange military man led Blackstone down a hallway to a room that had a small medical bed lying underneath a large machine. The machine had various coils and dishes strategically positioned on a vast swinging arm that circled the bed. The military man laid the exhausted imposter down on the bed. “Alright.” The man said. “Stay here. You’ll feel better in a few minutes. Ok?” Blackstone nodded, but before the helpful man could walk away again Blackstone’s pain ridden voice asked, “What should I call you?” The military man gave a sad yet fatherly smile as he replied. “Call me Admiral, son.”

The next few minutes were a blur. Blackstone could remember the machine… activating… but not much else. As soon as the machine had stopped, he couldn’t even remember why he was in the strange room in the first place. Why did the Admiral bring him here? What was the machine for? Had there been something wrong with him? Blackstone sat up and faced the Admiral who was shutting down the large machine via the kiosk at the other end of the room and asked in a perfectly normal voice. “Admiral, what am I doing in here? What is this place?” The Admiral looked up from where he was at the kiosk as he responded. “Oh nothing... Just running a diagnostics check is all. I wanted to make sure my asset was in peak condition before he went on his next mission.” The black skinned alien tilted his head in confusion as he commented. “Wait... _next_ mission?”

The Admiral gave a shrug as he nodded. “Well, yeah. I mean, you are my best special ops asset.” The Admiral lied, “Why would you ask that question?” Blackstone blinked in more confusion before finally responding. “Uh… Well sir, I just… don’t seem to remember going on any other missions before now.” Admiral Skinner blinked in surprise. “Really?” The imposter nodded. Admiral Skinner’s face changed from surprised to concern as he thought to himself for a moment. After about 5 seconds of silence, he finally said. “Huh… It must be some sort of side effect of the machine here. I mean it _is_ experimental after all…”

The Admiral led the now healed imposter through the vast expanse of laboratory hallways and into a room with a holographic table in the middle. The walls were lined with tactical gear and weaponry. Despite not knowing what a single thing was called Blackstone could almost… _feel_ as if he knew deep down how to use them. _Odd… Perhaps that machine did have a few side effects on my memory_. The Admiral opened up a file on the holographic table and expanded it’s view so that both he and Blackstone could see it. The Admiral began muttering to himself. “Alright… asset’s nanites are activated, the crew already betrayed their Captain, and he couldn’t have gone far in this blizzard so he’s most likely on base… Everything’s going according to plan.” Blackstone felt something seemingly awaken inside of him when hearing what the Admiral said. He felt… scared…of who? Blackstone involuntarily took a step back as the feeling grew, and he couldn’t help but ask. “Admiral…?” Before Blackstone could finish his question, Admiral Skinner stared the imposter directly in his red eyes and said, “Blackstone, New Mission!”

At hearing his name, a wave of pain jolted through Blackstone’s body from his head, and all thoughts or emotions that were stirred up before were gone immediately. Blackstone’s body snapped into attention, and his pupils rapidly narrowed into slits as he invested every single bit of his focus into hearing what the new mission was. He couldn’t focus on anything else… think anything else… do anything else… except await his new orders. Admiral Skinner straightened and gestured to the holographic file as he began to speak. “Captain Henry White is wanted for treason against MIRA. Your new mission is to kill him by any means necessary.” Blackstone’s eyes involuntarily snapped towards the holographic file. His brain worked seamlessly as he began absorbing information about his new target, and his objective became a simplified order repeating endlessly like a mantra within his head. _Kill Henry White, Kill Henry White, Kill Henry White…_

The Admiral smiled as he saw his nanite injected asset activate. Here he was, the first alien in MIRA’s ranks, the one closest to Henry White of all the Skeld crew. If there would be any way to silence the renegade Captain, this was it. The imposter before him remained completely frozen as he sighed and admired his work. The imposter was the perfect killing machine, and he had the means of controlling it. _I’m doing humanity more favors that it’s even aware of…_ He thought. The Admiral straightened himself one last time as he faced the imposter once more. “Blackstone,” He started. The imposter’s slit eyes met his obediently, and involuntarily. Admiral Skinner couldn’t help but smile as he commanded, “Start new mission!” Immediately the imposter in question dashed out of the room and began making it’s way to the surface of the Polus base. Now all he had to do was wait for Henry’s severed head to be brought back… Preferably on a silver platter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooh boy... Looks like Henry's gonna have some company soon...
> 
> (Quick sidenote: I am trying my damnest to make a good chapter without revealing too much in a way that may spoil the rest of the story I have planned but I'm just now realizing that this chapter may read a bit confusing because of it. IF you have any questions, ask me in the comments and I will answer them for you to the best of my ability without spoiling anything)
> 
> Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, my lovelies!!!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious buyers enter the picture! 
> 
> (If this whole buyer thing seems random or sudden to you, see chapter 4 of this work for the part I am referencing)

Admiral Skinner marched briskly down one of the many hallways that made up the secret underground laboratory. He quickened his pace as he turned the corner, and made his way to the main conference room. _Summon me here with no warning…_ He thought to himself. _Who does he think I am? We’re business partners!_ Upon entering the conference room, the doors behind him shut closed. Inside the room, the head scientist who had evaluated Blackstone was there, looking more timid than usual, and the holographic conference screen revealed none other than the Alkydian King, Morenos. The large, winged alien turned to face the Admiral. His large golden eyes narrowed as Admiral Skinner gave a curt bow. “Admiral Skinner… I wish to speak with you.” Admiral Skinner gave a half shrug as he replied. “So, I’ve heard. I gotta say though, it’d be nice if you gave me a bit of a warning.”

“Silence.” The King commanded. Admiral Skinner felt annoyance build from within him but held his tongue as requested. The Alkydian King glared at Admiral Skinner further as he spoke. “My sources tell me that there has been a security breach in your _confidential_ laboratory. Would you care to elaborate?” Admiral Skinner huffed as his shoulders relaxed. For a moment he was a bit worried the King had called their deal off… “It’s nothing to worry about, your Highness.” Admiral Skinner assured him. “I have my personal best hunting the leak down as we speak. This operation will not be exposed, I assure you.” Morenos brought his face down so that his towering holographic form was mere inches away from the Admirals as he raised his voice. “Do not test me, human! You fail to understand the situation you currently find yourself in.” Morenos bared his pointed teeth as he spoke, and Admiral Skinner had to strengthen his resolve to keep from giving into the intimidation he was suddenly faced with. Nevertheless, he gulped silently as the King continued.

“I saw no value in your miserable species, yet you reached out to me and promised that you could provide my empire with an elite army and I EXPECT THAT ARMY!” Morenos yelled. “IF you fail to provide me with what you have promised you will have broken the terms of our agreement... And I will not _hesitate_ to eradicate you.” Fear constricted around Admiral Skinner’s throat and he had to clear it before he could reply in a shaking voice “You’ll have your army. I swear.” Morenos straightened again. All signs of rage left his face as his harsh golden eyes pierced the Admiral’s fearful stare. “I suggest that you do, human… For _your_ sake.” The conference call ended, and the hologram of the Alkydian King disappeared. Admiral Skinner released a shaky breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding before turning to face the head scientist. He tilted his head towards the exit to the conference room as he called “Come with me.”

The two left the conference room and began walking their way to the testing chambers. As they did so, the nagging issue in the back of the Admiral’s mind resurfaced, and he decided now was as good a time as any to ask about it. “Helen, I’ve got a question. Does false memory implanting interfere with memory suppression in any way?” The head scientist, Helen, thought about it for a second. “Um… no, sir, not really. As long as the memory suppression goes smoothly, the memory implants won’t interfere with anything. Why do ask?” Admiral Skinner returned his gaze forward as he let out a frustrated sigh and replied. “I activated Blackstone’s nanites yesterday and when I did, the false memory implanting didn’t work. He had no false memory implants whatsoever and I had to sit there and explain that It must’ve been an experimental side effect of the activation machine.” The head scientist scoffed. “You activated his nanites already?! I told you that I wanted to be there for it incase anything went wrong! Why are you telling me this now?”

Admiral Skinner shrugged. “Well, I had already sent him on a mission, and you were busy adding nanites to the latest round of the 3-A Super Imposters. Getting the army finished is far more important than an unedited imposter.” Helen gave a frustrated huff. “As much as I agree with you, Blackstone is still _technically_ part of the security leak. If something were to go wrong…” Admiral Skinner interrupted her, his frustration finally spilling over. “Dammit, Helen! I told you about it so that it _won’t_ go wrong! Now get on it!” Helen stopped dead in her tracks and froze as the Admiral continued storming off down the hallway by himself. She didn’t get paid enough to deal with his emotional outbursts like this, and even if she was, it was still unfair. Unfair to her, unfair to the imposters, and unfair to everyone that worked on this base. But none of them had a choice. If the Admiral’s plan failed and he fell to the Alkydian King… they’d all fall with him.

The Alkydian King, Morenos, sat silently on the chair of his communication chamber as he pondered over the conversation that just happened. The door behind him whirred as it opened, and a familiar voice called out to him. “Father? How was your conversation with the humans?” Morenos grumbled as he rubbed his temples with two of his four fingers. “It was… most unpleasant. Those insufferable creatures are so incompetent I feel as if I am losing brain cells just listening to them…” Morenos groaned as he slouched back in his chair, moving his massive wings out of the way. _How am I supposed to expand my empire and best the Galactic Council without an elite army?_ A moment of silence passed before Morenos asked. “Alenos, tell me… was investing in these humans worth it?” Alenos, Morenos’s eldest son, hesitated for a moment before replying “In my humble opinion, father, these humans are capable of more than they let on. They’ve proven themselves capable of adapting to dire situations during their little… _Space War_. Although they can be incompetent, I think that if we have patience with them, the results will be… pleasing, at least.” Morenos turned to meet his son’s fiery orange eyes. His gaze softened as he sighed. “So wise and thoughtful… Just like your mother.” A heavy silence passed between them as Morenos looked over his son wistfully. Then, Alenos obediently bowed his horned head as his father stood and marched past him.

“Come, Alenos.” His father commanded. “I leave for Polus tomorrow morning.” Alenos blinked in surprise, then turned on his heel and briskly caught up to his father’s long gaping stride. They strode through the vast corridor of their palace as Alenos asked. “Tomorrow, father? But it isn’t their deadline yet. Why arrive soon and without any forewarning?” King Morenos didn’t stop as he continued marching towards his quarters. “Because, my dear son, if as you say is true, then I will have better patience once I am assured that their security breach is taken care of. I wish to observe their progress in person.” Alenos’s curiosity was piqued at the mention of a security breach as he obediently followed after his father. “What is this… security breach you speak of?” Alenos asked. Morenos’s expression soured as he explained the information he was given by his sources. “A captain from among their ranks discovered the Admiral’s secret army and has escaped with incriminating evidence. They’ve sent soldiers to hunt him down, but I am not reassured by their claims one bit.”

Alenos silently thought about the information he had been given. He hadn’t realized that the Admiral’s Army was being kept secret from the other humans. And it didn’t make sense either. So, he asked. “Why do the other humans not know of this?” Morenos’s large wings bristled as he explained. “Ever since they achieved interstellar travel, humans have been under the protection of that… _infuriating_ Galactic Council. They are forced to abide by the same rules as everyone else, and imposters are an endangered species.” Alenos nodded as he finally understood. By experimenting on imposters the humans were violating the endangered species preservation decree. This meant that if that captain were to expose the secret experimental army, the Galactic Council would have to step in… _Perfect_.

“Father, I wish to accompany you on your trip to Polus.” Morenos stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face his eldest son in surprise. His golden eyes met Alenos’s fiery orange ones as he spoke. “You wish to accompany me to Polus? Explain yourself.” Alenos stood tall with mock pride. “Well father, as your eldest, I am going to be inheriting the throne once your reign ends. That being said, I wish to see firsthand if these humans are as trustworthy as they claim themselves to be.” All of that was a lie, of course… But Morenos didn’t know that. Morenos’s surprised gaze softened as his golden eyes filled with fatherly pride. “My son…” he stated proudly, “With your initiative, you shall be the finest ruler the Alkydian Empire has ever seen…” Another moment of silence passed as Morenos’s wings bristled once more. “You may accompany me.” He stated. “Go pack your things. We leave tomorrow morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there are only two more chapters left until the next bonus chapter. I think I am well overdue for some thorough explanations on things like the super imposters, how the nanites work, and now I've got a whole new alien species to explain and describe to you @_@'
> 
> Do you want another bonus chapter on extra information? Lemme know in the comments below! (If not, I'll probably do some more concept art based off this story but idk I'm just a bitch who shits random stories out for fun lmao)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jessica decides to hack the Lab's databases in the records room to try and find some more info to confirm their theory.

Jessica sat at one of the many computers inside the research database room the crew were given access to during their elongated stay on Polus. She, Mr. Citrus, Goldie, and John Brown, had decided to remain grouped together for their remaining tasks and groups. They never told the rest of the crew why they were spending so much time together; however, they really didn’t need an explanation. Azul and Evergreen practically spent all their time inside the experimental weaponry facility while the rest of the crew were constantly dragged to and fro by an overly enthusiastic science officer, Rose. That being said, the four crewmates had their tracks covered and their tasks unquestioned. Except rather occasionally when the Admiral would pop by.

“How are things in the computer room, Skeld crew?”

The familiar voice of Admiral Skinner made all four crewmates involuntarily flinch. Jessica shut the recording of the security camera footage on her computer and quickly pulled up the home database page for the lab’s records. As the admiral approached where she sat, she quickly pulled up the communication records and responded. “Oh, things are going well, Admiral! I’m showing my friends here all the cool recent advancements that your scientists have made in communication technology. Sure, they may not understand all of it, but I, for one, think its very interesting!” Jessica flashed her signature smile while the three crewmates next to her chuckled sheepishly. Admiral Skinner flashed a fatherly smile as he slowly walked around to the other side of the table where the crewmates are gathered. The crew seemed to hold their breath as Admiral Skinner peered at the monitor before Jessica while his hand went to rest on Mr. Citrus’s shoulder.

“Hmm… looking at the neutrino transmission theory?” The Admiral asked. John Brown and Mr. Citrus’s felt their chests tighten. _Neutrino transmission theory?! What the hell was that?_ Jessica seemed hesitant for a second. She didn’t really pay any attention to what lab report she’d pulled up, and neutrinos are very advanced. Regardless, she nodded, and pulled all she knew about neutrinos out from the depths of her memory to try and fudge her answer. “Yeah, I know… its pretty advanced…” She began. “But I personally think that if we devote more research to it, we can get it to work. It’s just… hard to control because of their half-integral spin and characteristic to negate interaction with most forms of matter.” Admiral Skinner’s strangely steely gaze lightened up as he chuckled in response. “My, you’ve greatly done your research on the subject, Miss Rubens! I’m sure my research team would be happy to have you take a crack at it, if you’re up to it.”

Jessica chuckled shyly as she ran a hand sheepishly through her bouncy red curls. “Oh, I don’t think I would be much help. I just know my tech. I didn’t get my position on this crew because I could make tech. That’s for sure.” The group all broke into laughter as Admiral Skinner finally removed his hand from Mr. Citrus’s shoulder. He began leaving the room and waved at the crew as he said. “I’m glad you’re enjoying our records! See you around!” The four crewmates waved cheerfully as he turned away, and as soon as the doors to the room, they all let out long sighs of relief. Their gazes all met each other, and they mutually shared nervous glances at each other as Jessica pulled up the security camera footage, and the main database page again. Jessica forced an enthusiastic smile on her face. “Well, at least my neutrino knowledge finally came in handy!”

Mr. Citrus’s hand absent mindedly rubbed over where Admiral Skinner’s hand was as he stared blankly at Jessica’s monitor, only half watching what the communication’s officer was doing. “…I don’t think Admiral Skinner is safe for us to talk to…” Goldie nodded as he spoke up from where he sat. “Yeah… I felt that too. When he came into the room it was like he was… interrogating us… but why?” John Brown huffed in annoyance but didn’t say anything. Jessica’s fingers filled the small bits of silence in their conversation with rapid typing as she began going through, and reorganizing line after line of coding. She hardly turned away from what she was doing as she answered Goldie. “Well, it’s most likely he’s keeping an eye on us since Captain Henry is now wanted for treason. Since we’re his crew, it would make the most sense that we would withhold information to his whereabouts, or try to help him escape MIRA custody.” Goldie shrank ever so slightly in his seat as he nervously ran a hand through his short curly hair and commented. “Well, that’s not very reassuring since we’re literally digging up dirt on the very organization that wants Henry captured in the first place. The very same organization that, coincidentally, we _work_ for.”

“Hey.” Mr. Citrus said while putting a reassuring hand on the engineer’s shoulder. He gave Goldie a strong gaze as he said, “Don’t worry. Once we gather up enough evidence to prove Henry’s innocence, we’ll be able to fix all of this.” Before Mr. Citrus could say anything else, Jessica’s typing stopped. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the monitor before her and let out an awe struck “Woah…” The other three turned to look at what Jessica had found. On her screen showed the underground schematics for the Polus base. But… according to these schematics, there was a completely separate underground laboratory aside from the one they were in. Goldie’s jaw dropped. “Jessica, did you just _hack_ the Polus base records?” Jessica nodded as she began navigating the schematics in front of her. This second wing was split into three sections and each wing, it seemed, was dedicated to some specific development or field of research. One wing was labeled nanites, the other, was labeled genetics, and the third, was labeled testing. _Why would MIRA be interested in genetic research?_ Jessica thought… If this schematic was any indication of how much MIRA was hiding, then there was definitely much more than they originally thought…

**[Meanwhile above ground…]**

Blackstone hurried down the corridor to the dorm rooms of the refurbished laboratory. According to the mission report he was given, the Captain made an escape through his dorm room window. He would search there for clues first. Not even the slightest bit of recognition crossed his features as he marched past the dorm rooms full of familiar brightly colored suits. As he reached the dorm in question, he noticed the door was jammed. Most likely having been barricaded from the inside… _No problem._ With one strong kick, Blackstone burst open the door with ease and promptly broke the bed barricading the door in the process. Upon entering, he scanned the room. The window was broken, clearly having been broken from the inside since most of the glass was embedded in the snow outside. There was a bag full of civilian clothing near one of the corners of the room. Blackstone lowered himself, and began sniffing at the contents of the bag. The scent was strong, masculine, undeniably human, but also very… familiar? He breathed deeply as the scent seemed to calm his nerves and make him feel safe. Almost… happy?

A jolt of pain surged through Blackstone’s body as the activated nanites forcefully shut down his thought process. _Kill Henry White_. Blackstone sniffed at the bag one last time to memorize his target’s scent. The once safe and happy feeling that the smell triggered failed to manifest a second time. Blackstone returned his attention to the broken window, and carefully pulled himself through the opening so as to not cut himself on any of the broken glass. All at once, the frigid air of the planet Polus engulfed Blackstone, and he shivered violently at the drastic change of temperature. He’d need proper gear if he was to hunt down a human in this weather. Climbing back inside, Blackstone was about to return to the underground lab to gear up when something caught his eye. On the other side of the dorm room, next to the unbroken bed was a suit carefully folded on top of a nightstand table. Blackstone approached the suit and picked it up. It was conveniently tailored to accommodate his abnormally shaped legs. And, even more surprising, it had his scent on it. Blackstone tilted his head as his thoughts began to wonder. Why would his target have such a thing in his possession? Even more confusing, why would it smell like him?

Another jolt of pain erased the thought process from Blackstone’s mind, and the imposter grimaced at the intensity of it. _Kill Henry White._ Blackstone brought himself to focus back on the task at hand. He put on the black suit before him. It fit perfectly, and once inside; Blackstone was already plenty warmer. _Kill Henry White_. Blackstone climbed back out of the window and landed once again in the snow outside. He lowered down and sniffed at the snow, searching for the captain’s scent. Once found, he could practically visualize the path the rogue Captain took, sprinting away along the outskirts of the base. Most possibly to escape into the harsh untamed climate of Polus to hide himself. _Kill Henry White_. Blackstone’s frills vibrated as his hunting instinct kicked in, and he sprinted off into the distance on the trail the scent revealed to him. The hunt was on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus Fucking Christ I FINALLY managed to squeeze out this chapter. Lets hope I never have writer's block again. Holy Shit...


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> King Morenos arrives at Polus on his surprise visit.

Proximity alarms jarred the Admiral from his sleep in his quarters during the ungodly hours of the night. He sat up suddenly, still delirious with sleep, and within seconds, a voice crackled through the communicator that sat on his nightstand. “Admiral Skinner, we have an unidentified ship approaching Polus!” At those words, all sense of drowsiness dissipated as he turned with surprise towards his communicator. “What?!” The voice on the communicator crackled as it spoke up again. “We have an unidentified ship approaching Polus! From our scanners it seems like a privately owned, B-Class interstellar vessel, but we cannot confirm it’s origins or it’s intentions. What are your orders, sir?”

Admiral Skinner rubbed a hand through his hair as he forced down his panic. He remained silent for a second as his thoughts pondered over who might want to approach Polus. The voice on the communicator spoke up again at the lack of an answer. “Uh… Sir? Your orders?” Admiral Skinner froze as his brain came to the only logical conclusion as to who it may be. He groaned as he rubbed his face with his hand. “Cancel the proximity alarm and prepare for company!” The voice on the communicator spoke up again. “Sir?” Admiral Skinner’s frustration peaked unexpectedly as he grabbed the communicator off his nightstand and yelled. “Dammit, you heard my orders! Cancel that damn alarm and _prepare for company!!”_ Admiral Skinner shut the communicator off in frustration and growled as he dragged himself out of bed to get dressed.

Once dressed, Admiral Skinner marched down the hallway to the Polus base exit. The guards waiting at attention flanked him and marched in step as he exited the Polus Base and approached the landing pads. The unidentified B-Class vessel had finished it’s landing procedure once Admiral Skinner and his entourage had reached the steps of the landing pad. They held their position at the bottom of the stairs and observed as the sleek craft’s loading ramp lowered. Admiral Skinner’s heart dropped as his eyes recognized the signature folded wings of their visitors immediately. He gulped and spoke under his breath to his entourage. “Follow my lead and bow when I do. Understood?” The guards all nodded in unison. It took all of Admiral Skinner’s self-control not to flinch at the loud sound King Morenos’s wings said as he flapped them to stretch them in the new open space, and the towering, horned, Alkydian King marched down the loading ramp with another shorter horned Alkydian on his heels. Once the alien royal reached the top of the stairs, Admiral Skinner bowed, and his entourage of guards followed suit.

“King Morenos!” Admiral Skinner stated once he straightened again. “I wasn’t expecting you to pay me a visit. _Especially_ one without a warning.” The 10 ft tall Alkydian Royal’s golden eyes bored into Admiral Skinner’s and Admiral Skinner regretted ever having added that last remark in the first place. King Morenos tilted his head with no change of expression as he spoke. “I trust that you are competent enough to figure out why I am here.” Admiral Skinner huffed under his breath as he ignored the rude remark towards his intelligence as he put on a forced smile and spoke. “Oh, I’m sure my… _incompetent_ mind will figure it out eventually.” With that, he stepped aside and gestured towards the base entrance. “Please, come inside. I’m sure it’s freezing for your kind.” Of course, it wasn't. But Morenos followed nonetheless.

King Morenos, his son, Alenos, and the four royal guards that accompanied them all shook the snow flurries off their wings. The human guards glanced at the winged aliens nervously, and the tension among the two groups was growing more palpable by the minute. Morenos, who had to duck in order to fit through the doorframe, was growing more annoyed by the minute as he took in his surroundings. Everything was small, some of the technology he saw was practically ancient compared to their alternatives, and the ceiling was so short, his wings were scraping the ceiling. Just as he was about to quip on how deploring the quality of the laboratory was, he glanced over at his son and stopped. Alenos was wide eyed as he took in his surroundings.

Although Alenos was poised with every ounce of maturity he was notorious for, Morenos, as Alenos’s father, could recognize the small hints that showed just how excited he was. The way his wings flared ever so slightly, how his fiery orange eyes grew an ever so slightly brighter shade of orange, the ever so slight smile attempting to tug at the corner of his mouth. A part of Morenos’s heart warmed at the sight for it had been years when he’d ever seen his son this excited about something. Seeing his son like this made him feel happy. And if such deplorable conditions were enough to make his son happy, then he would force himself to put up with it. For his sake.

Admiral Skinner led the group on a quick tour around the overground base before sending some guards ahead to clear the way to the secret broom closet entrance. Once cleared, the Alkydians were brought into the secret lab, and King Morenos couldn’t help but sigh in relief. The ceiling of the underground compound was a few feet taller than the ceiling of the overground compound. Thus, his wings were no longer scraping the ceiling. Admiral Skinner straightened ever so slightly as he filled with pride. “Well, this is where the magic happens. Welcome to the West Wing. This is the compound where your army is being built.” Admiral Skinner led them down the testing hallway, and as they passed the rows of cells full of imposters, Alenos’s expression soured. The imposters they passed were in various states of agony, and some rushed the cell door when the Admiral passed. Morenos looked pleased with what he saw, and amidst his eagerness completely overlooked the discomfort that Alenos hid from his father.

“Well now.” Admiral Skinner said as he led the group into an observation room. “I’d show you all the genetics and nanites and stuff, but I figured you wouldn't want me to bore you with the details. So, we have this little… _demonstration_ for you instead.” The Alkydians’ attention was caught by the sound of a door opening. They peered through the observation glass to see an imposter with bright blue markings shoved into the large empty room by a few guards. The imposter looked around the large room, and Alenos could clearly recognize the fear in the creature’s four eyes. On the opposite end of the room, the door opened. A large burly creature with two large, spiked tendrils and a stomach mouth full of visible sharp teeth lumbered into the room. Unlike the blue marked imposter, this large creature, had no fear in its eyes. In fact, it had no emotion at all. The large creature just stared blankly at the floor in front of it with no sign of… _sentience_ at all. It was… unnerving to Alenos. Just what kind of experiments were these humans conducting on these poor creatures?

“So, for a bit of context,” Admiral Skinner’s voice interrupted Alenos’s thoughts, “the smaller one is a normal imposter. And this large one you see on the right is one of the genetically engineered soldiers we made. We call them Super Imposters. This specific one is the Variant 3-A. It’s genetically designed for brute strength and overall durability. Once fully grown this thing is a walking tank.” Morenos hummed in response. He was looking forward to see what this… _walking tank_ was capable of. Admiral Skinner leaned over and pressed a red button on a kiosk. His voice crackled over a speaker inside the large testing room as he spoke. “Alright. Soldier 285, attack!” At the orders, the large creature snapped alert and the once braindead gaze disappeared almost immediately. It’s four eyes focused relentlessly onto the smaller imposter in front of it. At the sudden eye contact, the imposter flared it’s frills and coiled it’s tendrils into a defensive stance as it hissed and backed away from the large creature. The Super Imposter tilted it’s head as it observed the imposter before it for a few more seconds until finally attacking.

The Super Imposter surged forward and struck at the imposter with it’s large, spiked tendril. The frightened imposter barely had enough time to duck out the way, but in doing so, the super imposter struck the smaller creature in the stomach with it’s other tendril. The imposter doubled over in agony and Alenos couldn’t help but flinch at the sight. The super imposter was relentless nonetheless, and struck the imposter in the back of the head and the imposter’s body went limp on the floor. Without pausing for a second, the super imposter picked up the deadweight body with ease, and tore it in half. It tossed one half of the body to the other end of the room. Once finished, the Super Imposter stood completely still and the same braindead gaze returned to its eyes. Admiral Skinner’s head tilted up with pride and Morenos’s gaze softened with surprise at the display of violence that he saw.

“Well, your majesty,” Admiral Skinner asked, “Do you like your soldier?” A dark smile crossed Morenos’s face as he nodded and replied. “Yes, quite. However, as much as I am impressed by your progress, this will have no meaning if your… leak does not get fixed.” Admiral Skinner’s face fell. _So that’s why he came…_ The Admiral nodded. “Of course, your majesty. We can give you updates on that soon. But first, may I interest you all in some food? I imagine that your commute was tiring for you.” Morenos accepted the offer and Admiral Skinner led them out the observation room. As Alenos began to leave, he glimpsed back at the testing room. The severed imposter’s frills were still twitching as its inky black blood continue to spill out of it’s torso in a growing puddle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... yeah... the 3-A variants are pretty strong. Now granted, we didn't get to see it go against Blackstone, but I think we can all agree it packs quite the punch. 
> 
> Also, poor Alenos having to witness this violent bullshit...
> 
> (Also, just incase you all didn't notice, I updated chapter 19 with the REAL chapter 19 instead of my dumbass rante about my first ever writers block lmao. Enjoy)


	21. BONUS CHAPTER: Worldbuilding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright... the worldbuilding you all have been waiting for! Let's just dive right in, shall we my lovelies?

Well holy shit. I never would’ve thought that this story would last over 20 chapters. I can say that the pieces of the puzzle are indeed falling into place, and that there are at least two more twists that I intend on adding in for you guys. However, elaborating on the overall story progression any further may spoil it for you, so Imma just let you stew in anticipation and disappointment again lmao.

Alright, now for the worldbuilding… uh… where should I start?

**Super Imposters:**

Alright. First off, here’s a link to a quick sketch of a basic anatomy and size difference between an imposter, the Prototype, and the Super Imposter. Sorry its so shitty in quality, but it should give you a basic concept of what they look like in comparison.

https://sta.sh/0zusvrtw9r4

So, the main thing to know about Super Imposters is that there are multiple variations of them. Each Variant is genetically engineered to focus on certain characteristics that would give them certain advantages on a battlefield. Variant 1s are an all-round trade off. They are a balanced combination between an Imposter, and a Lesser. They _are_ capable of shapeshifting, and are highly intelligent (characteristics from the imposter). They also only have two tendrils instead of 4, and their larger size & stature gives them heightened speed, strength, agility, and durability. For reference, the Prototype is considered a Variant 1, (albeit he’s the first one created and thus is the weakest of the Variant 1s but he’s still considered one regardless)

Variant 2s are designed for stealth missions and as such, they have the lowest quantity of the super imposters that are created. Variant 2s have highly fast reflexes, heightened senses, and enhanced speed and agility. They also have better shapeshifting skills, and can hold their invisibility state longer than an average imposter. These Variant 2s are extremely deadly to anyone who isn’t suspecting them. We won’t be seeing them in this story, but its just something for you to keep in mind since they are indeed part of the army Morenos wants.

The Variant 3s are the ones that we were introduced to in the previous chapter. As stated, they have increased speed, strength, and durability and are designed to be tough to kill. Their large spiked tendrils are capable of crushing steel beams like aluminum cans, and their mouth has a bite force nearly 5 times that of an alligators. Unlike imposters, the Variant 3s don’t have a profound weakness to strikes on the stomach, and the only way to properly kill them would be landing a strike on their insides while their mouth is open… good luck pulling that off.

**Alkydians:**

Now it’s time to introduce the newest player on the field, the Alkydians. Buckle up, its reading time. There will be links posted throughout this section to give visuals for you.

[Anatomy]

Alkydians don’t have a height range simply for the main reason that their species never stops growing. I know it seems strange, but they don’t. For reference, King Morenos is 10 feet tall, Alenos is 7 feet tall, and the average height of most Alkydian Nobility ranges from 7 feet tall to a whopping 12 feet tall. Alkydian commoners tend to range from 5 feet to 9 feet. What's the difference between the nobility and the commoners? I’m about to explain it to you.

All Alkydians are creatures with two arms, a humanoid body, a mouth on their face, no nose, a crest on their head and their large signature wings on their back. Between the Commoners and the Nobility, the only difference in their anatomy is that Alkydian Nobility have horns on their head while the Alkydian Commoners don’t. Horned Alkydians make up approximately 5% of the species’ population, and it is their rarity that marks them as Nobility. Each noble family has a different style in horn shapes and it’s the way most noble families are recognized. For King Morenos and his kin, their horns tend to ring their head like a sort of crown. However, Alenos’s mother didn’t have this trait, and as such, Alenos and his siblings have fewer horns than Morenos does. A profile sketch of Alenos is available with the link below.

https://sta.sh/0apdvyqvrlb

Alkydian legs are shaped to accommodate for their ability of flight. Their feet are elongated and have an opposable digit that acts as a backwards facing claw. This leg structure allows Alkydians to have a secure and stable grip on whatever it is they are landing on. Their claws are very powerful and have excellent dexterity. This means they can grab things easily with them, however usually when they do it’s to crush or impale things menacingly. I am sure it goes without explanation, but this means that Alkydians don’t wear shoes. In fact, many Alkydians prefer to wear looser forms of pants to allow for maximum mobility and dexterity when landing. A picture of their anatomy can be seen with the link below.

https://sta.sh/01lrn2dqe5oi

The most signature trait of the Alkydian species is by far, the fluid glands that are located in their forearms. When flexed a certain way, the muscles in the forearms squeeze the gland and force the fluid inside out of the forearm through a small tube that runs the length of their forearm. The fluid inside these glands is filtered from their digestive system and spontaneously combusts when in contact with oxygen. In other words, their arms come with a built-in flamethrower. Alkydian flames can, on average, reach up to 6 feet away from their body. However, when wearing special gauntlets that increase the pressure of the fluid stream flowing through the forearm. This, in turn, makes the fluid spray farther and makes the fluid droplets much smaller when sprayed. Overall, an Alkydian gauntlet can increase the range of the Alkydian’s flames by as much as 3 feet. A detailed muscle and fluid gland anatomy can be seen with the link below.

https://sta.sh/0as7sift2u6

Alkydians breathe through the slits that are located right behind their collar bones (because I fucking hate drawing noses) and that allows them to gulp down more air when flying. Their respiratory system is significantly larger and more efficient so they can withstand altitudes far higher than an average human being. Since Alkydians can fly, this also means that their bodies are highly resilient to differences in temperature (and the fact that they shoot fire from their wrists means that their skin is fire resistant). Thus, Alkydians are capable of withstanding very broad array of biomes and often don’t understand that clothing can serve a practical value other than to keep you clean and cover that which uh… needs to be covered (you get what I mean, right?).

[History]

At this current point in time in this series, Alkydians are a very long and ancient race, having begun space exploration nearly a millennia ago. Early into their interstellar travels, there was a handful of Alkydian nobles that discovered Earth and visited it since the Galactic Council hadn’t put in place the interference policy on planet Earth. Around this time, Earth was amidst it’s medieval period and thus, was not all that technologically advanced. Upon being seen with their drastic appearance of leathery wings, large curving horns and sharp carnivorous teeth, they were seen by humans as demonic creatures of mystery. Although the Alkydians didn’t stay and didn’t drastically impact the development of humanity as a self-sustaining interstellar species, the evidence of their visit remains to this day in the form of gargoyles.

Fast forward a few centuries, the Alkydian species is thriving amongst their solar system. They are well established amongst other interstellar races and often trade their planet’s exotic spices for access to new advancements in technology or rare and foreign resources. They are a benevolent people, and the ruling family was loved by their people. This specific ruling family is the exact same family that Morenos is head of at our point in time during the story. So, the question is, what happened? Why did the Alkydian race turn violent?

Well… unfortunately, me delving into the reason why would spoil other stories that I have planned in the future, so I won’t be bringing up that part of the Alkydian’s story just yet. However, I can say that Morenos’s empire is ruthless and has enslaved all the adjacent planets in their solar system. They raid smaller species and their solar systems for resources and slaves. The nobles are wealthy and tend to look down on the commoners of the Alkydian people. The commonfolk are responsible for maintaining the enslaved, transporting goods and manufactured items throughout the star system, and overall Empire upkeep. This often means they are no better treated than the slaves themselves and some can live lives equally as brutal as their enslaved counterparts. If slaves fail to meet their quota, the punishment falls on the commoners instead of the slaves.

The Alkydian Empire under command of King Morenos is responsible for the deaths of billions of innocent lives both enslaved aliens and even members of their own kind. In the future, their empire will be known for the extinction of a highly valuable species known as Vulvaks. They are aggressive towards any species that is a member of the Galactic Council and their main motive is to put an end to the Galactic Council once and for all. The reason why the Galactic Council has yet to step in is because they lack the firepower to do so. However, the Alkydians also lack the firepower to further expand their territory and attack the Galactic council as they wanted, and as such the two galactic superpowers have been stuck in an unintentional stalemate for nearly three decades.

This is where MIRA comes into play. Morenos, desperate to fulfil his goal of destroying the Galactic Council, began turning towards illegal means of manufacturing an army that would be as destructive as it was plentiful. Of all the species that he could’ve made side deals with, one particular transmission caught his eye. The transmission was from none other than Admiral Skinner. He promised King Morenos a powerful army that would be easy to manufacture in bulk once the process was perfected. All the humans needed to do was produce one squadron’s worth of each type of solder that they offered for King Morenos to examine.

Once proven the army could work, King Morenos would hand over technology and resources that would greatly improve MIRA’s technological prowess and give them the materials needed to conduct deep space research in uncharted territories. In exchange, King Morenos would be given the genetic research and DNA samples needed to recreate the growth process en masse within their own factories. The only part of the plan that Morenos did not approve of was that humanity was already under protection of the Galactic Council. That meant their species was subjugated to the same protection laws that applied to the rest of the galaxy and as such, experimentation on an endangered species, like imposters, was illegal. And that, was the fatal flaw in the plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that's another bonus chapter in the books! I can't believe this story has gone on for more than 20 chapters already, and I am SO THANKFUL for you all staying with me on this story for so long lmao. Here's to finally finishing this long ass story!
> 
> (My apologies for how long this chapter took. As you can see, quite a bit of work went into creating this and all of it's concept sketches and what not.)


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry searches for a secret way into the Polus base. But Blackstone is still out there somewhere... (Please keep in mind this chapter changes perspective a lot and as such, I apologize if it gets a bit confusing)

Henry grimaced as he injected the final stolen supplement shot into his arm before putting on his suit again. His stomach growled in protest at having injected nutrients rather than real food for the 4th day in a row, but seeing as there is nothing to eat aside from those adorable Snow Fluffs (which he’d dare not touch) he didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Ignoring those protests, Henry gulped down a large bucketful of water before pocketing the cauterizing knife, reattaching his helmet, and leaving his makeshift igloo. He needed to get back to the base. He couldn’t just let what happened to Blackstone go in vain, and he sure as hell couldn’t let Admiral Skinner use his genetically engineered monsters for… whatever it was they were made for. Snow crunched under Henry’s boots as he trudged through the snow. He continuously scanned the cliff face to his right as he took in the different rock formations and how the various layers of stone were jutted outwards. He needed to find a rock face that had large footholds, and find one that, preferably, slanted inwards so he didn’t have to climb at a fully vertical angle.

After stomping through the ever-crunchy snow for what felt like 10 minutes, he finally found an ideal cliff face worth climbing, and began his ascent. Halfway up the easily 70 ft cliff face, Henry’s muscles were burning immensely, and his injuries from his plunge that were never properly treated were now screaming in full force. Each and every inch he climbed was painful, arduous, and the 20 feet above him looked more like it was an impossible 20 miles… But he had to keep going. Luck favored Henry when he grasped onto a ledge that easily fit the whole length of his hand. Pulling himself up far enough, Henry could easily let his feet rest in a way that allowed him to stand hugging the cliff face, and he took the much-needed moment to catch his breath. Henry’s injuries throbbed in tandem with his heartbeat, and when he shut his eyes, he could see himself back in the dorm room with Blackstone on that fateful night when everything went wrong. _I can’t lose you, Stone… I just… can’t._ Pain seemed to be the last thing on Henry’s mind as he continued climbing the cliff face with renewed vigor. He’ll put an end to this one way or another.

The cold Polus air mercilessly nipped at Blackstone’s face as he sniffed around for the scent of his target. All this snow and wind was making it harder than necessary to track his target… But he couldn’t fail. He was given a mission, and he was going to complete it, by any means necessary. _Kill Henry White_. Blackstone huffed as he gave in to the merciless cold and put on his helmet again. His face tingled at the sudden, and very much appreciated, warm interior as he scanned the Polus base buildings before him. He’d just have to guess where the Captain was at this point since he couldn’t smell him. Blackstone looked around once more, thought about where the Captain would most logically be, then headed towards the Red Cliff. If a human was in this type of cold weather, they’d remain near a heat source to try and survive longer, so he’d search there first. The wind howled as Blackstone changed directions and headed for the Red Cliff all the while calculating every possible location his target could be hiding. _Kill Henry White_ …

Henry’s pace picked up as he finally made it to the broken window that he’d originally crawled out of. That would be his way inside. But, upon getting within three feet of the window, he stopped. This was the only improper opening into Polus which made it blatantly obvious that they would be monitoring this spot the most. There would be no way for him to sneak back into Polus through the dorm room, and even if the guards didn’t find him first, he’d no doubt run into one of his crew members. _And we all know how well that went last time._ Henry gave a frustrated huff as he pondered for a moment. Where could he go? The main entrance was a blatantly obvious no, and from what he could tell, there were no other entrances to the secret lab except through the secret broom closet. Unless… Henry thought back to the schematic he saw of the base layout. He remembered noticing how the secret lab was very close, almost right next to the lava pit of the Red Cliff. And with a facility involving those types of experiments, they’d need an easy way to both hide evidence, and dispose of any dead bodies that turn up from experimentation. _The Red Cliff would be the perfect place to search for an entrance,_ Henry thought to himself. He’d search there first.

Blackstone peered from where he was hiding in the shadows of a building towards the Red Cliff. Given his last known location, Henry would have to approach the Red Cliff from the exterior wall of the revamped laboratory, and then make his way to the metal walkway that overlooked the lava pit. That would be the most opportune moment for him to strike. Minutes passed, Blackstone’s four red eyes never blinked once, and although he itched to turn invisible, he knew doing so wouldn’t make a difference unless he was out of his suit. Impatience was beginning to get the best of him, when he heard the fait crunching of snow off in the distance. Henry was coming. Blackstone crouched further down as he watched silently. Sure enough, a white suited man came lumbering, almost staggering into view, clearly exhausted, and clearly injured. Blackstone waited a few seconds longer as Henry began walking closer and closer to the Red Cliff… Just a bit farther and then… _now!_ Blackstone lunged from where he hid and began sprinting at full speed towards Henry.

At hearing the approaching footsteps, Henry turned, phaser raised and set to kill, when he saw who it was. His eyes widened as he dropped his hands. Phaser forgotten almost immediately as he asked in disbelief. “Blackstone?!” Blackstone, at hearing his full name, skid to a halt merely a tendril’s reach away from Henry. _My target knows my name?_ His eyes met Henry’s through the clear helmet visor, and all at once, his world made no sense. _This face…_ He’d seen this face before… He _knew_ who this person was… But he couldn’t remember anything about them. Overwhelming amounts of relief and happiness began welling up inside of Blackstone as he gaped at this familiar set of mismatched blue eyes. _Why was he relieved?_ Henry’s face lit up in a smile as tears threatened to fall down his face. “Blackstone! You’re alive! I thought you were dead!” At Blackstone’s still persistent silence, Henry’s smile soon threatened to fade away as concern started crawling it’s way through Henry’s veins. “…Stone? Are you ok?”

Blackstone was about to ask how his target knew his name, when another jolt of pain shook his thoughts. Blackstone grimaced as his body writhed in pain, and he shook his head in an attempt to alleviate it. _KILL HENRY WHITE. KILL HENRY WHITE. KILL HENRY WHITE._ Blackstone’s body tensed up as he slowly turned back towards his Captain. His eyes were mere slits as he saw his target before him, tendrils coiling in response as he trembled with the urge to kill. Henry shrank back ever so slightly as a low hiss emanated from Blackstone, and he took a step back as the imposter fully faced him. “…Stone?” Blackstone snarled as he began to close the distance between him and Henry. Henry, too confused and fear struck to do anything, remained frozen where he was. Blackstone raised his tendril to strike Henry when…. Something got in between them.

“STOP IT!” Another familiar voice called. In between the two of them stood none other than a fully suited John Brown. His stern hazel eyes met Blackstone’s red ones, and Henry himself was frozen at the fact alone that John Brown was _helping him._ “…John?” Henry asked. John Brown kept his eyes trained on Blackstone as he barked an order at his Captain. “Captain, get out of here.” Henry grew confused as he looked between his chef and the still confused imposter and began. “But…” John brown cut Henry off again. “Henry, _run_!” Without asking any further questions, Henry ran off the way he came and disappeared. At seeing his target move, Blackstone went to lunge for Henry again when John moved himself in Blackstone’s path again. “Blackstone, _stop_!”

At hearing his name again, Blackstone met the older man’s eyes again. Everything in him told Blackstone he could trust the man before him, even regard him as someone close to him. But as far as his memory could tell, he’d never seen this man before in his life. John slowly eased out of his stern gaze at seeing the confusion on the imposter’s face and began to talk. “You don’t have to do this, you know… No matter what… _gadgets_ they put in your head, I know you wouldn’t hurt Henry. You love him.” More confusion grew in Blackstone’s mind as seemingly familiar hollowed out memories tried forming in the back of his mind. He _swore_ he knew who this man was… John kept talking. “Furthermore, I know you wouldn’t hurt me. Or the rest of this crew.” John closed the distance between him and the imposter gradually. “I’ve been on this crew longer than you have. I’ve seen how much you care for us, and how much having people who care means to you.” He put his hand on the tall alien’s shoulder. “Because you’re the most kindhearted aboard the ship.”

Blackstone’s eyes widened as the last sentence John said hit him like a ton of bricks. He _did_ know this man… ‘ _the most kindhearted aboard the ship.’_ Flashes of a still incomplete memory began surfacing in Blackstone’s mind. A kitchen, a bag of raw meat, a _promise…_

“…John?”

The older man smiled at the mention of his name as he nodded. Blackstone reached out a tendril to touch John’s helmet visor, when the pain struck. The nanites kicked on in full force, and in one swift jolt, everything Blackstone had tried so hard to remember was gone in an instant. His mind disappeared as the nanites took control, and his head jerked as he flinched from the pain. _KILL HENRY WHITE_! Blackstone scanned his surroundings frantically. Henry was nowhere to be seen. His target had _escaped…_ Anger boiled up in Blackstone’s chest as he turned to face the brown suited man before him. John’s smile faded as he met Blackstone’s eyes and he backed up a step. Blackstone’s mind continued examined the older man before him. This man had distracted him. This man was the reason his target had escaped… And he couldn’t let it happen again. _Kill Henry White… **By any means necessary**._ Without warning, Blackstone lunged, and impaled John clean through the shoulder.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Blackstone ignored Jessica’s scream as he hoisted the now writhing chef into the air on his tendril. Even with his helmet on, Blackstone could smell the blood that spilled out of the large wound and he marveled at how it’s smell mingled with the fresh new scent of… _terror_. In one swift motion, Blackstone flung Johns rapidly weakening body towards the pit. John tumbled onto the ramp as pain shook through his body in tidal waves. His momentum carried him ever closer towards the end of the ramp… when gravity took hold and he disappeared over the edge. “JOHN, NO!” Jessica sprinted towards the ramp, followed closely behind by a Mr. Citrus, who was desperately trying to not get Jessica killed by the still mind controlled imposter. However, to everyone’s surprise, Blackstone made no move to attack them and instead began following after his target’s footprints. He may have lost him this time, but he knew for a fact that Henry would not escape next time.

On top of one of the overground buildings, Alenos stood silently watching the entire scene that unfolded. Once Blackstone disappeared, he turned and took off, letting the cold air fill his wings as he soared overhead, easily cloaked by the night sky. He now knew who the rogue Captain was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well damn... that encounter didn't go as expected for any of them, huh?


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shaken up Henry gets confronted by a certain winged alien...

Henry collapsed out of breath onto the cold, unforgiving snow after having just sprinted away from what he just saw. A cyclone of various emotions was tearing his heart to shreds and at the center of it all was Blackstone. _He didn’t recognize us…_ The shock of Blackstone attacking John Brown left Henry’s mind blank and devoid of any tangible plan to survive. It was just too much. Too unbelievable, too _painful_ to acknowledge clearly… Henry could feel himself shaking, his knees still far too weak to support his seemingly leaded body's weight, and it took him every ounce his of self-control to not give into the thick coils of dread that threatened to tighten around his throat. There were far more important things at hand, of course. But at that moment everything else in existence felt distant as a part of Henry he hardly noticed before now felt ensnared and walled off from the rest of him. It was disorienting to the point of nausea, but no matter what he tried, all he could do was think the same thing over and over again…

_He didn’t recognize us…_

The crunching of snow somewhere nearby snapped Henry out of his shocked stupor, and he scrambled with what little strength he had left to hide in a nearby corner of one of the Polus’s facility buildings. All of the shock that once plagued his veins turned into fear instantly and his breathing stopped immediately so he could listen to whatever was making it’s way towards him. Henry slowly reached for the cauterizing knife in his pocket… His mind was racing. Already thinking of every possible way he could land an attack on Blackstone without causing any major damage. Cut a tendril, a quick stab to the shoulder, a slash to the back of his leg to slice a tendon, keep him from walking, then run. Escape. _Survive…_

The crunching snow grew louder as the steps approached Henry’s location and with each step Henry’s fear traveled faster and faster through his veins. Just as they approached his location, they stopped, and Henry’s ears rang with the eerie silence that filled them. The pounding of Henry’s heartbeat filled with every silent second that passed, and he couldn’t bring himself to do so much as breathe. _Where was he…?_ Without warning, something grabbed Henry’s shoulders and hoisted him into the air. Henry flailed as he was hoisted higher still until finally being dropped onto the rooftop of the building. Scrambling to his feet, cauterizing knife in hand, Henry turned around to defend himself from his attacker who was… not Blackstone.

Alenos surged forward with a powerful flap of his wings and grasped the wrist holding the knife. Henry used the alien’s momentum against him and used his legs to launch the winged alien over the edge of the building. As quickly as Alenos disappeared, he reappeared flying in place, just out of Henry’s reach. Henry pulled out his phaser and aimed it at the winged alien. His phaser whined as he switched it from stun to kill-

“Wait! Don’t shoot!” Alenos held his hands up defensively, and Henry hesitated. His gaze never wavered from where he was aiming, and his phaser only lowered when the winged alien landed on the rooftop in front of him. Alenos got down on one knee and bowed as he introduced himself. “My name is Alenos, son of Morenos. I am the eldest prince of the Alkydian Empire… And I need your help.” Henry didn’t move from where he was. He didn’t know what the Alkydian Empire was, or anything about what kind of alien he saw before him. “…How do I know I can trust you?” Henry demanded. Alenos met Henry’s gaze but made no move to stand from where he knelt. “Well… If I were not on your side, I’d still be fighting you and have most likely either reported your location or burnt you to cinders right now.”

Henry still kept his phaser trained on the horned alien before him. He backed away a few steps, and let Alenos slowly rise to his feet. Henry took a good look at the alien before him. The alien before him had mahogany colored skin and horns that gradually melted from mahogany to a dull gold. His broad wings were leathery, almost reptilian in appearance, and his clawed feet were large enough to hold Henry’s head in their grip easily. At his full height, this… _Alenos_ stood almost taller than Blackstone did… Needless to say, it was nothing short of intimidating. Henry backed up a step further and still kept his phaser trained on Alenos. Hesitantly, he took in his body language. Alenos’s posture was ever so slightly tense, but his arms were relaxed at his sides. He was fully facing towards Henry, nowhere close to a fighting stance, and in his eyes, he held a look of… was that desperation? Henry couldn’t tell for the most part, especially since he just met him.

“What do you want from me?” Henry asked, his voice a bit calmer than before. His phaser was still trained on Alenos, of course… but it was more just in case. Henry didn’t feel threatened in any way, and something inside him could tell that if Alenos were a threat, he would’ve made a move already. Alenos, acknowledging Henry’s question, began to speak. “Well, as you are aware, your… Admiral is illegally experimenting on an endangered alien species, the imposters.” Henry nodded in acknowledgement. Alenos continued. “What you probably didn’t know is that your Admiral plans on selling the super imposters, and the data required to replicate the process, to my father, King Morenos.” Henry’s eyes widened as the new information hit him like a ton of bricks. His aim gradually faltered as Alenos continued speaking.

“My father plans on using this new army of super soldiers to declare war against the Galactic Council and expand his Empire to make it even more powerful… And that’s why I need your help.” Henry shook himself out of his daze and fixed his aim. He put on as aggressive a face as possible as he retorted. “Why the _fuck_ would I help you with that?” Alenos’s expression changed to one of confusion for a millisecond before he shook his head and elaborated. “Wha- No! I do not wish for you to assist my father. I wish for you to assist me in _stopping_ him!” Once again Henry’s aim faltered as surprise crossed his features. This… alien prince… wanted his help to go against his evil father… and stop him from taking over the galaxy?

What was this… _Star Wars?_

Henry didn’t want to trust the alien before him. There was no reason for him to trust Alenos at all. But despite it all he still hesitated. Something inside him felt desperate, determined even, to take any chance possible to stop Admiral Skinner. And with what he now knew happened to Blackstone… Henry’s heart jolted as he remembered how mortified he was when Blackstone didn’t recognize him… There must be a way to get him back… to undo the process… To save the rest of his kind… Slowly, Henry lowered his phaser, eyes still trained on Alenos, and when Alenos relaxed further, he finally stopped the death grip on his phaser altogether. An uneasy silence blanketed the two of them as they stood there on the lightly snow-covered rooftop. Another question piqued Henry’s curiosity and he asked. “…Why do you want my help?”

Alenos turned away from Henry, and began scanning the surrounding area for any guards or witnesses while he spoke. “From what I have heard, you hold incriminating evidence somewhere on your person, and I wish to use that evidence to report your Admiral to the Galactic Council and stop my father from getting the army before the due date.” Henry instinctively reached for the phone pocketed on the inside of his suit. All he had were pictures of the lab, it’s layout, and it’s contents. If he wanted to truly incriminate the Admiral, he’d need evidence of the Admiral being a part of the act…

“I don’t have enough evidence to effectively convict Admiral Skinner of being responsible for these experimentations.” Henry explained. “He’d have plausible deniability and squeeze out of any trouble that MIRA would throw at him.” Alenos met Henry’s gaze again, his face filled with disappointed surprise as he replied. “Are you serious? You don’t have enough to convict him?” Henry shook his head. Alenos swore in an alien language Henry didn’t recognize and began pacing. Alenos’s brow furrowed as he paced, deep in thought. After what seemed like an entire minute, Alenos turned to Henry and asked. “How much more evidence do you need in order to convict him?” Henry shrugged. “Not much more… I need to catch him in the act is all, and if you want to convict your father, you should also show the two of them interacting with each other.” Alenos stopped pacing as an idea came to him. He met Henry’s eyes with excitement as he smiled. “Rogue Captain, I think I have an idea…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold... I have achieved the all time pinnacle of Sci Fi writing...
> 
> A Star Wars joke


	24. Something to pass the time...

Hello My lovelies!

Sorry for being so slow to update, lately... I'm really trying my best to balance school, and writing, and everything else that's happening with my family, which... to say the least... is a lot @~@

As compensation for not having anything new to read, I'll share some artwork with you that I've done since I've last updated! If you wish to continue keeping up to date with my artwork, you can check out my DeviantArt account using this link: https://www.deviantart.com/elizabethinkheart

  
Anyways, Here's some artwork for you!

[Blackstone: Gaylien Badass](https://www.deviantart.com/elizabethinkheart/art/Blackstone-Gaylien-Badass-868249326)

[Slice: The Silent Type](https://www.deviantart.com/elizabethinkheart/art/Slice-The-Silent-Type-871322868)

[Dogma: The Gladiator](https://www.deviantart.com/elizabethinkheart/art/Dogma-MYO-Blood-Demon-OC-Colored-870925002)

[Malthias: Bounty Hunter](https://www.deviantart.com/elizabethinkheart/art/Malthias-Colored-869123147)

[Fate: The Celestial](https://www.deviantart.com/elizabethinkheart/art/Free-Time-871391803)

[Lyra: Devil's Flower Mantodrid](https://www.deviantart.com/elizabethinkheart/art/Lyra-OC-871749152)

Well, that's all I've got for now... I will say this- A lot of these characters will be involved in some stories in the future, and many of those stories even tie into this one! So, feel free to read up on the information that I've posted in the descriptions of these images!

Until next time, my lovelies!

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last overall story that I have planned for this series, but that doesn't mean it has to be the last story I ever write with these characters! As always, be sure to comment what sort of scenario you'd like to see as a story or excerpt and I'll be sure to try and get to them as soon as possible! Thank you for reading, my lovelies!


End file.
